As part of the 103 NP application process, completion of the transition to practice requirement must be attested to by a physician and surgeon that practices in the same specialty area or category in which the NP is seeking certification as a 103 NP. The 103 NP applicant is asked to enter information about the attestor and an email is then sent to the physician and surgeon requesting their attestation of the information that was entered.

It has been brought to the Board’s attention that the 103 NP application does not currently allow an Osteopathic physician and surgeon to provide that attestation. The Board is working to fix this system glitch and is anticipating it will be remedied by the first part of March. We will send out a notice to all NP licensees once the system update is complete. If your attesting provider is an Osteopathic physician and surgeon, we kindly ask that you hold off submitting your application until you receive that notification.

For NPs who have already submitted their application and designated an Osteopathic physician and surgeon to attest to your hours, please be aware that your application will not be able to move forward with the information that you currently have inputted as it does not correctly identify the Osteopathic physician and surgeon 20A license type and misidentifies them as a Medical physician and surgeon. We ask that you submit the “Add Additional Nurse Practitioner Providers” application with the appropriate information in March once the system fix has been implemented.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we continually work to improve this new process.

The California Department of Justice (DOJ) will release the optimized Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) on April 11, 2022. Please refer to the DOJ guidance document "New Optimized Cures Being Released On 4/11/2022" for important information on new features of the optimized CURES, supported web browsers, and planned system downtime from Friday, April 8, 2022 at 5:00 PM, through Monday, April 11, 2022 at 8:00 AM.

In addition, CURES optimization will provide expanded Delegate functionality, through which Delegates will be authorized to directly access data in CURES. Practitioners currently utilizing a Delegate must enter into a new Delegate Agreement in order for their Delegate to have continued access to CURES beginning April 11, 2022. New Delegates may also be added via Delegate Agreement. For information about the Delegate access, please refer to the Quick Reference Guide which includes Delegate Agreement samples, and the DOJ guidance document "New Features and Requirements for Expanded Delegate Access."

As part of the transition to optimized CURES, beginning on April 11, 2022 please refer to the DOJ guidance document "First Time Login to the New Optimized CURES."

If you have any questions about optimized CURES, Delegate Access, or browser accessibility, contact the CURES Program at cures@doj.ca.gov or (916) 210-3187.

On March 10, 2022, license verification requests previously completed by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) will be completed by Nursys®. Nursys® provides online verification for endorsement to a nurse requesting to practice in another state and anyone who wants to verify a nurse license.

As the BRN is transitioning to Nursys® there will be a short period of time that a verification request can be made through your BreEZe account; however, it is encouraged that this option is not used. It is anticipated that this option will be removed from BreEZe in April 2022.

To request an out of state verification, please visit the Nursys® website: https://www.nursys.com/

Licensees of the Board of Registered Nursing with prescribing authority are subject to the e-prescribing requirements established by Assembly Bill (AB) 2789 (Wood, 2018). Beginning January 1, 2022, most prescriptions (including but not limited to prescriptions for controlled substances) issued by a licensed healthcare practitioner to a California pharmacy must be submitted electronically. For more information on this law and its requirements, please see the AB 2789 bulletin. Practitioners also can get answers to questions about complying with the law at Electronic Data Transmission Prescriptions (E-Prescriptions) – Frequently Asked Questions provided by the California State Board of Pharmacy.

The Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) has learned of an attempted scam aimed at licensees of DCA’s boards and bureaus. In the scheme, an individual falsely identifying themselves as an employee of the Acupuncture Board has contacted licensees and attempted to gather personal information.

If you receive a call from an individual claiming to be an employee of the Acupuncture Board (or any other DCA board or bureau) and they attempt to gather personal information, please consider the following:

· If you receive a call, simply take down the caller’s information (including name, title, phone number and email address), let them know you will follow-up directly with the department/board/bureau, and end the call.
· You may also consider ending the call without explanation if it appears suspicious or to be a scam.
· Contact the board or bureau responsible for issuing your license. Contact information for all DCA boards and bureaus can be found via this webpage: https://www.dca.ca.gov/about_us/entities.shtml
· If you don’t know who to contact at DCA, call the Consumer Information Center at (800) 952-5210 for assistance and to get directed to the appropriate entity.
· NEVER disclose any personal information, i.e. social security numbers, date of births, or credit/debit card numbers, without first taking steps to verify that the person requesting the information has a legitimate need for it.

Effective April 1, 2021, the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) fee will increase from $6 to $11 annually for a period of two years. The increase will be applied to licenses expiring after July 1, 2021, and is assessed at the time of license renewal on specified licensees of the Board of Registered Nursing that prescribe, order, administer, furnish, or dispense Schedule II, Schedule III, Schedule IV, or Schedule V controlled substances.

Most licensees will see a $22 CURES Fee due to the biennial renewal cycle. The fee covers the reasonable regulatory costs of the Department of Justice for operating and maintaining CURES, a critical element in the state’s effort to address the growing danger of opioid addiction stemming from prescription drug abuse.

For more information about CURES, visit: https://oag.ca.gov/cures.

The California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN or Board) has learned that scam artists posing as U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents or Board investigators are calling California registered nurses as part of an extortion scheme. The scammers identify themselves as DEA agents or Board investigators, calling about ongoing investigations regarding their license issued by the BRN. The scammers tell victims their license may be suspended for illegal drug trafficking. The scammers may provide a “Notice of Suspension” letter with BRN’s letterhead and/or logo which includes statements that licensees must follow instructions given by the Board investigator. The scammers are also asking for licensee bank account information. The scammers’ phone number may show up as the BRN’s office number (916) 322-3350.

No DEA agent, BRN investigator or staff member, will ever contact RNs by telephone to demand money or any other form of payment. If you receive a call such as the one described, refuse the demand for payment. Do not disclose any personal information, i.e., social security number, dates of birth, credit or debit card numbers.

Please also consider the following:

• If the caller is stating they are from the DEA, immediately report the threat using the DEA’s Extortion Scam Online Reporting form.
• If the individual identifies themselves as a Board employee, please contact the Board at (916) 322-3350 and press 3 to be directed to the Board’s Enforcement unit or send an email to Enforcement.BRN@dca.ca.gov.
• If the phone number of the caller appears to be the Board’s number, it is recommended that you submit an online complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) using the FCC's Consumer Complaint form or contact the Board so it can provide this information to the FCC.
• DEA Warns Public of Extortion Scam by DEA Special Agent Impersonators