July 11, 2022

eStar Update: New requirements when prescribing certain topical medications

Beginning July 13, when prescribing certain topical medications, prescribers will need to denote either 1) the specific amount of medication to dispense or 2) the location the topical medication will be applied. This applies to the following medications:

  • Hydrocortisone
  • Triamcinolone
  • Clindamycin
  • Clobetasol
  • Desonide
  • Mupirocin
  • Bacitracin

This change is necessary to help prevent callbacks from outpatient pharmacies about details needed for prescribing topical medications for insurance auditing purposes.

A few changes in eStar have been made to make this process easier for prescribers:

  • Made the Report of “common sizes” more visible
  • Requiring Duration field to be completed
  • Marking all above medications as long-term so that the medication will stay on the medication list after duration and show up as Expired

Please note, not all topical medications prescriptions will immediately have this new ordering process (only applies to medications listed above). Additional topical medications may be added in the future.