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AB-447 • 2026

Emergency room patient prescriptions.

Emergency room patient prescriptions.

Healthcare
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Mark González
Last action
2025-10-06
Official status
Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 363, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The exact requirements for exempting an AUDS from licensure are specified in the bill but were not detailed enough in the candidate explanation.

Emergency Room Patient Prescriptions

This law allows doctors to give unused non-controlled dangerous drugs from the hospital pharmacy to patients when they leave the emergency room, under certain conditions. It also exempts a specific type of automated drug delivery system (AUDS) used in hospitals from needing a license when dispensing dangerous drugs to emergency room patients.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows doctors to give leftover non-controlled dangerous drugs from the hospital pharmacy to patients who are leaving the emergency room if it is needed for their treatment.
  • Exempts an Automated Unit Dose System (AUDS) from needing a license when dispensing dangerous drugs to emergency room patients, as long as certain requirements are met.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Emergency room patients who might receive leftover medication upon discharge.
  • Hospitals and their pharmacies that have an AUDS system for dispensing drugs.

Terms To Know

Automated Unit Dose System (AUDS)
A machine used in hospitals to automatically give out specific doses of medicine to patients.
Dangerous drug
Medicine that can be harmful if not taken correctly and needs special handling by the pharmacy.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not apply to controlled substances, only non-controlled dangerous drugs.
  • It is unclear how many hospitals will use this new dispensing method for emergency room patients.

Bill History

  1. 2025-10-06 California Legislative Information

    Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 363, Statutes of 2025.

  2. 2025-10-06 California Legislative Information

    Approved by the Governor.

  3. 2025-09-02 California Legislative Information

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.

  4. 2025-08-26 California Legislative Information

    In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.

  5. 2025-08-25 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 2250.).

  6. 2025-08-20 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

  7. 2025-08-19 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar.

  8. 2025-07-03 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (July 2). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  9. 2025-06-23 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (June 23). Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.

  10. 2025-06-11 California Legislative Information

    In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.

  11. 2025-06-04 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Coms. on B. P. & E.D. and HEALTH.

  12. 2025-05-23 California Legislative Information

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

  13. 2025-05-23 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 71. Noes 0. Page 1662.)

  14. 2025-05-15 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

  15. 2025-05-14 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (May 14).

  16. 2025-05-05 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  17. 2025-05-01 California Legislative Information

    Read second time and amended.

  18. 2025-04-30 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (April 29).

  19. 2025-04-10 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.

  20. 2025-04-09 California Legislative Information

    Read second time and amended.

  21. 2025-04-08 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (April 8).

  22. 2025-04-01 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on B. & P.

  23. 2025-03-28 California Legislative Information

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on B. & P. Read second time and amended.

  24. 2025-03-03 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Coms. on B. & P. and HEALTH.

  25. 2025-02-07 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 9.

  26. 2025-02-06 California Legislative Information

    Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 447, Mark González.
Emergency room patient prescriptions.
Existing law, the Pharmacy Law, establishes the California State Board of Pharmacy for the licensure and regulation of pharmacists and pharmacies. Existing law authorizes a prescriber to dispense a dangerous drug, including a controlled substance, to an emergency room patient if specified requirements are met, including that the dangerous drug is acquired by the hospital pharmacy.
This bill would, notwithstanding any other law, authorize a prescriber to dispense an unused portion of a dangerous drug acquired by the hospital pharmacy to an emergency room patient upon discharge if certain conditions are satisfied, including that
the dangerous drug is not a controlled substance and that dispensing the unused portion of the dangerous drug is required to continue treatment of the patient.
Existing law requires an automated drug delivery system (ADDS) that is installed, leased, owned, or operated in California to be licensed by the board. Existing law exempts an automated unit dose system (AUDS), a type of ADDS, from licensure if the AUDS is used solely to provide doses administered to patients while in a licensed general acute care hospital facility or a licensed acute psychiatric hospital facility if the licensed hospital pharmacy owns or leases the AUDS and owns the dangerous drugs and dangerous devices in the AUDS.
This bill would also exempt from licensure an AUDS that is used to
dispense dangerous drugs to emergency room patients in accordance with specified requirements.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Download Bill PDF