List of Tricare Prime Doctors

To access Tricare Prime benefits -- a health insurance program for U.S. military personnel, veterans and eligible dependents -- enrollees must live in a prime service area that encompasses a 40-mile radius around military treatment facilities or additional areas proposed by regional contractors or regional health systems. Beneficiaries receive care from "providers," an all-encompassing term to describe a doctor or team of doctors, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, hospital, clinic, laboratory, ambulance company and medical supply provider.

Regions

• Tricare covers three geographical regions -- North, South and West -- each managed by a different health system or regional contractor, but the protocol for finding a provider remains the same. The Tricare Service Center at your military installation will provide regional information, or you can visit the Tricare website to access your health system's website. Once you know your region, you can find the provider directory on the website and search for a provider at a military treatment facility or a civilian network provider.

Military Providers

• If you live within a 30-minute drive of a military treatment facility, that's where you'll receive primary health care. At your (or your sponsor's) initial visit to a Tricare Service Center, you'll be assigned a primary care manager -- a doctor who coordinates your care. If you need a referral to a specialist, your PCM will fill out and submit the paperwork for you. To change PCMs, you must fill out the standard PCM change form, DD Form 2876, and submit it to your regional contractor or service center in person, by mail or fax. The service center or regional health system's website maintains a list of providers open for enrollment. You must wait for confirmation of the change by mail before visiting your new PCM.

Civilian Providers

• If your drive time to a military treatment facility exceeds 30 minutes, you'll receive primary health care from a network civilian PCM assigned to you at the initial visit. To change your PCM, it's the same procedure as at the military treatment facility. You'll find the list of providers open for enrollment at the Tricare Service Center or in your regional health system's provider directory. You don't need a referral for preventative care from network providers. Your PCM, military treatment facility or regional contractor or the "referral decision tool" on your regional health system's website can provide information on specialty care referrals.

Considerations

• If you live outside a prime service area, you can waive the drive-time standards and enroll with a PCM within 99 miles of your residence. In the case of an emergency, you don't need a referral or authorization, as Tricare Prime includes away-from-home emergency coverage for any emergency room. For non-emergencies, such as a sprain or sore throat, Tricare Prime beneficiaries must receive a referral from a military treatment facility, PCM or regional contractor before visiting a civilian provider.