Emergency room patient prescriptions.

Assembly Member Mark González's proposal to modify California's emergency room prescription practices would allow medical providers to dispense unused portions of certain medications to patients upon discharge. The measure permits prescribers to provide remaining quantities of non-controlled dangerous drugs that were initially administered during emergency room visits, provided the medications come in self-administrable forms like inhalers or eye drops and are necessary for continuing treatment.

The legislation also revises licensing requirements for automated drug delivery systems in hospital settings. Hospital pharmacies operating automated unit dose systems would be exempt from obtaining separate licenses when these systems dispense medications to emergency room patients, provided the pharmacy owns or leases the equipment and maintains ownership of the drugs. Hospitals must maintain lists of system locations and make these records available to the California State Board of Pharmacy upon request.

Under the measure's provisions, prescribers remain legally responsible for any errors or omissions related to medications dispensed through these mechanisms. The bill maintains existing requirements for proper labeling and documentation while adding specific conditions for emergency room dispensing, including limiting eligible medications to those already ordered and administered during the patient's visit.