Additional Pharmacy Information

The Alliance operates a DUR program to educate physicians and pharmacists to better identify patterns and reduce the frequency of fraud, abuse, gross overuse, and inappropriate or medically unnecessary care. The program applies to physicians, pharmacists and patients, and to fraud or abuse associated with specific drugs or groups of drugs. For more information on the DUR program, please see Policy 403-1143 – Drug Utilization Review.

Opioid DUR

The Alliance has developed policies in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to help ensure the safe and appropriate use of opioid medications.

For Alliance Care IHSS members, the Alliance will allow refills for opioid prescriptions when greater than or equal to 90% of the days' supply of the prescription is met. The next refill request, for when less than 90% of the days' supply of an opioid prescription has elapsed, will require a prior authorization with medical justification for the early refill. For Medi-Cal members, please refer to the Medi-Cal Rx website. For more information on the opioid utilization review process, please see Policy 403-1139 - Opioid Utilization Review.

DHCS Medi-Cal DUR Educational Articles

Please see educational articles on the Medi-Cal Rx DUR webpage.

2025

• 2024 Immunization Update: COVID-19, Influenza, RSV, Pneumococcal, Polio, Meningococcal, HiB, HepB, and Mpox - February 2025

2024

• Drug-Drug Interaction: Amlodipine with Simvastatin or Lovastatin - October 2024
• Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection (ca.gov) - September 2024
• Risks of Concomitant Statin Therapy with Gemfibrozil - August 2024
• Aspirin for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease - May 2024
• Alternatives to Diphenhydramine for Older Adults - January 2024

2023

• 2023 Immunization Update: COVID-19, Influenza, RSV, HepB, Pneumococcal, HPV, Polio, Mpox, and MMR - November 2023
• No Added Benefit from Concomitant Use of GLP-1 Agonists and DPP-4 Inhibitors - August 2023
• New Resources Available for Perinatal Mental Health Conditions - August 2023
• FDA Approves First Over-the-Counter Naloxone Nasal Spray - June 2023
• Updated Guidance by the CDC and FDA for Prescribing Opioids - June 2023
• Clinical Review: Management of Acute Postpartum Pain - May 2023
• Risks to Patients Exposed to Xylazine in Illicit Drugs - January 2023
• Improving the Quality of Care: Treatment of Latent Tuberculosis Infection - January 2023
• 2022 Immunization Update: Mpox, HepB, Influenza, COVID-19, Pneumococcal, Zoster - January 2023
• Removal of DATA-Waiver (X-Waiver) Requirement - January 2023

Archived educational articles are listed on the DUR Archived Educational Articles page.

Medication Disposal

• Mariposa County
• Merced County
• Monterey County
• San Benito County
• Santa Cruz County

Sharps Disposal

• Mariposa County
• Merced County
• Monterey County
• San Benito County
• Santa Cruz County

Please contact the Alliance Pharmacy Department at:

Phone: 831-430-5507 (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding holidays)

Fax: 831-430-5851

After Business Hours Contacts for Prescription PA Requests

• For Medi-Cal, contact Medi-Cal Rx.
• For MedImpact, contact MedImpact.