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Hurricane Irene Prompts TRICARE Waiver of Health Care Referral and Prescription Requirements

  • Published
  • TRICARE
FALLS CHURCH, VA --  The Department of Defense (DoD) has approved a waiver of the primary care manager (PCM) referral requirement for beneficiaries in eastern North Carolina. Hurricane Irene is anticipated to make landfall there Saturday morning.

TRICARE beneficiaries in need of urgent medical care following the storm may not have access to their PCM. Waiving the PCM referral requirement allows beneficiaries to seek care from TRICARE-authorized providers without a referral from their PCM. The waiver prevents these beneficiaries from incurring point-of-service charges.

The waiver applies to beneficiaries enrolled in the prime service areas covering the Cherry Point Naval Health Clinic, Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune and the Koritz Clinic at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. For the latest on obtaining health care information go to the hurricane link at www.tricare.mil/disasterinfo.

In the case of an emergency, always dial 911 or go directly to the nearest emergency room.

Beneficiaries who reside in areas affected by Irene will also be able to refill prescriptions early if they are in danger of running out during, or immediately after, the storm. That information will also be updated at www.tricare.mil/disasterinfo.

TRICARE beneficiaries in the path of the storm should follow any mandatory or voluntary state evacuation procedures. The TRICARE disaster information page at www.tricare.mil/disasterinfo also offers suggestions for how to prepare for storms and evacuations.

Beneficiaries in the North Region seeking more information about their TRICARE benefits in an emergency should call the TRICARE North Region health care support contractor, Health Net Federal Service at 1-877-874-2273.