(a) Neither this chapter nor any other law shall be construed to prohibit a certified nurse-midwife from furnishing or ordering drugs or devices, including controlled substances classified in Schedule II, III, IV, or V under the California Uniform Controlled Substances Act (Division 10 (commencing with Section 11000) of the Health and Safety Code), when all of the following apply:

(1) The drugs or devices are furnished or ordered incidentally to the provision of any of the following:

(A) The care and services described in Section 2746.5.

(B) Care rendered, consistent with the certified nurse-midwife’s educational preparation or for which clinical competency has been established and maintained, to persons within a facility specified in subdivision (a), (b), (c), (d), (i), or (j) of § 1206 of the Health and Safety Code, a clinic as specified in § 1204 of the Health and Safety Code, a general acute care hospital as defined in subdivision (a) of § 1250 of the Health and Safety Code, a licensed birth center as defined in § 1204.3 of the Health and Safety Code, or a special hospital specified as a maternity hospital in subdivision (f) of § 1250 of the Health and Safety Code.

(C) Care rendered in an out-of-hospital setting pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 2746.5.

(2) The furnishing or ordering of drugs or devices by a certified nurse-midwife for services that do not fall within the scope of services specified in subdivision (a) of Section 2746.5 shall be furnished in accordance with, and specified in, the policies and protocols mutually agreed upon pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 2746.5, which shall specify all of the following:

(A) Which certified nurse-midwife may furnish or order drugs or devices.

(B) Which drugs or devices may be furnished or ordered and under what circumstances.

(C) The method of periodic review of the certified nurse-midwife’s competence, including peer review, and review of the provisions of the standardized procedure.

(3) If Schedule II or III controlled substances, as defined in Sections 11055 and 11056 of the Health and Safety Code, are furnished or ordered by a certified nurse-midwife for any condition, including, but not limited to, Schedule II or III controlled substances for services that fall within the scope of services specified in subdivision (a) of Section 2746.5, the controlled substances shall be furnished or ordered in accordance with policies and protocols mutually agreed upon pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 2746.5. For Schedule II controlled substance protocols, the provision for furnishing the Schedule II controlled substance shall address the diagnosis of the illness, injury, or condition for which the Schedule II controlled substance is to be furnished.

(b) (1) The furnishing or ordering of drugs or devices by a certified nurse-midwife is conditional on the issuance by the board of a number to the applicant who has successfully completed the requirements of paragraph (2). The board may issue a furnishing number upon initial application and, if approved by the board, the applicant shall not be required to make a separate application. The number shall be included on all transmittals of orders for drugs or devices by the certified nurse-midwife. The board shall maintain a list of the certified nurse-midwives that it has certified pursuant to this paragraph and the number it has issued to each one. The board shall make the list available to the California State Board of Pharmacy upon its request. Every certified nurse-midwife who is authorized pursuant to this section to furnish or issue a drug order for a controlled substance shall register with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Enforcement System (CURES) pursuant to § 11165.1 of the Health and Safety Code.

(2) The board has certified in accordance with paragraph (1) that the certified nurse-midwife has satisfactorily completed a course in pharmacology covering the drugs or devices to be furnished or ordered under this section, including the risks of addiction and neonatal abstinence syndrome associated with the use of opioids. The board shall establish the requirements for satisfactory completion of this paragraph.

(3) Certified nurse-midwives who are certified by the board and hold an active furnishing number and who are registered with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration shall provide documentation of continuing education specific to the use of Schedule II controlled substances in settings other than a hospital based on standards developed by the board.

(c) Furnishing of drugs or devices by a certified nurse-midwife means the act of making a pharmaceutical agent or agents available to the patient. Use of the term “furnishing” in this section shall include the following:

(1) The ordering of a nonscheduled drug or device for services that fall within the scope of services specified in subdivision (a) of Section 2746.5.

(2) The ordering of a nonscheduled drug or device for services that fall outside the scope of services specified in subdivision (a) of Section 2746.5 in accordance with mutually agreed upon policies and protocols pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 2746.5.

(3) The ordering of a Schedule IV or V drug for any condition, including, but not limited to, for care that falls within the scope of services specified in subdivision (a) of Section 2746.5.

(4) The ordering of a Schedule II or III drug in accordance with mutually agreed upon policies and protocols pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 2746.5.

(5) Transmitting an order of a physician and surgeon.

(d) “Drug order” or “order” for purposes of this section means an order for medication or for a drug or device that is dispensed to or for an ultimate user, issued by a certified nurse-midwife as an individual practitioner, within the meaning of Section 1306.03 of Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, (1) a drug order issued pursuant to this section shall be treated in the same manner as a prescription of the supervising physician; (2) all references to “prescription” in this code and the Health and Safety Code shall include drug orders issued by certified nurse-midwives; and (3) the signature of a certified nurse-midwife on a drug order issued in accordance with this section shall be deemed to be the signature of a prescriber for purposes of this code and the Health and Safety Code.

(e) Notwithstanding any other law, a certified nurse-midwife may directly procure supplies and devices, obtain and administer diagnostic tests, directly obtain and administer nonscheduled drugs, and dispense drugs pursuant to Section 4170, consistent with the provision of services that fall within the scope of services specified in subdivision (a) of Section 2746.5, order laboratory and diagnostic testing, and receive reports that are necessary to their practice as a certified nurse-midwife within their scope of practice, consistent with Section 2746.5.

(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 497, Sec. 3. (SB 667) Effective January 1, 2024.)