ePrescribe V1 - EPCS (Exostar)
- Dylan Nigh
EPCS Transmission
Before you can send EPCS, the prescribing doctor must be enrolled and set up to do so. If you are not enrolled, please contact our enrollment department. Once you have enrolled, you will be asked to set up a training session so that MacPractice can make sure everything is setup and ready to go. Once the training has been completed and your account has been activated by Exostar, you will be able to transmit scheduled drugs.
Only Doctor and Mid-Level users will be able to receive privileges to transmit controlled substances electronically. Nurse and Clerical user types will not be able to transmit controlled substances, so be aware of the privilege level of each MacPractice user.
How to Transmit using Exostar
Search for and create the scheduled drug as normal. If you need help with this, please see the documentation for creating Prescriptions.
Once you have the prescription in the Transmit Rx page, you will need to be sure to select a pharmacy that participates with EPCS. If the pharmacy has a black dot with a letter 'C' around it in the RX column, they accept EPCS.
After selecting the pharmacy, you will have a couple options to actually transmit the script.
Authy Phone Application
Push Notification - This will send a notification to your phone asking for the script to be approved or denied. Clicking 'Approve' will send the script.
Manual Passcode Entry - The Authy app will have a 6 digit number and a 20 second imer for that particular code. You can manually enter this into the 'Enter Passcode' field. After 20 seconds the code will refresh and the timer will start over.
Hard Token
In the initial EPCS setup you will order a key fob Hard Token, that will be bound to your account. This device will generate a 6 digit code, and you can manually enter that code in the 'Enter Passcode' field. These codes are only valid for a certain period of time.
Note: If you choose one of the manual entry options, please make sure the correct option is selected before signing the Rx. (i.e. Hard Token, Authy Phone App)
New on 3/11/2021, NewCrop has added a new authentication process to include an additional layer of security to the steps required to authenticate when submitting controlled substances in addition to the Authy/Hardware Token passcode. The first time you submit, you'll be prompted to create a 4-digit PIN.
This should be a memorable PIN as you'll need to enter it every time when transmitting controlled prescriptions. Once you've validated this PIN, the next time you transmit, you'll first need to enter your PIN into this prompt:
Then you will enter your Passcode from Authy or your Hardware Token as expected.
If you ever need to change your EPCS PIN, you can do so by navigating to the Admin Tab and clicking the "Manage EPCS PIN" link.
After using one of the above options, the script will be sent, and you will be presented with a voided copy of the script. This can be printed for patient record.
Additional Documentation
Below is additional documentation that can be downloaded, which includes how to bind the hardware token (key fob) to your account. You can download the 'Authy Application' from the App Store or Google Play Store, as well as the full setup documentation.
