| |
|
New Nationwide Network of Retail Pharmacies
You’re on the road, nowhere near a military treatment facility (MTF), and suddenly you need to get a prescription filled. In the past, that meant paying for it out of your pocket, then filing a claim for reimbursement.
As of June 1, 2004, you no longer have to do all that.
Previously, pharmacy benefits were not portable when you traveled out of your region because each TRICARE regional contractor administered a separate retail pharmacy benefit through its own network; eligibility and payment information could not be shared across regions. |
|
Now, a single pharmacy benefit manager, Express Scripts, Inc., based in Maryland Heights, Mo., provides a nationwide network of retail pharmacies to fill prescriptions for TRICARE beneficiaries, wherever they are in the U.S., the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (Different cost-shares apply in other overseas locations. For information on filing claims for pharmacy services in other overseas locations, visit the TRICARE Web site).
“This new contract is part of the department’s strategy to implement a fully integrated pharmacy program that delivers world-class, cost-effective patient care through a single manager of our retail pharmacy benefit. We are committed to ensuring that the transition to this new contract will be smooth,” said Dr. William Winkenwerder, Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.
The Department of Defense (DoD) TRICARE Retail Pharmacy Program offers several advantages in addition to nationwide portability.
Centralized Customer Service
Express Scripts handles all of your retail pharmacy services centrally. There’s no need to call multiple sites or mail information to multiple locations. In fact, you should no longer contact local TRICARE Service Centers or call the regional contractor when you have a question about filling prescriptions at retail network pharmacies. The new, single retail pharmacy customer service line and mailing address are:
1-866-DoD-TRRx (1-866-363-8779)
Express Scripts, Inc.
P.O. Box 66518
St. Louis, MO 63166-6518
Wider Range of Choice
Under the Express Scripts contract, you have a network of about 53,000 retail pharmacies to choose from across the U.S. and its territories. You can find out about your neighborhood’s TRICARE retail pharmacy network coverage by:
- Calling the customer service line at 1-866-DoD-TRRx
- Using the online Pharmacy Locator
Enhanced Patient Safety
TRICARE records your prescription transactions through one database, the Pharmacy Data Transaction Service (PDTS), if you use a retail network pharmacy (as opposed to a non-network pharmacy). That same database also records your prescriptions if you use the TRICARE Mail Order Pharmacy program or an MTF pharmacy. By conducting an online clinical screening against your complete medication history before dispensing a prescription, PDTS enhances patient safety by reducing the likelihood of duplicate treatments and adverse drug-drug interactions.
|
