TRICARE provides the health care you need when traveling in the United States or overseas. Understanding the differences between urgent and emergency care can help you get the right level of care when you need it most.
Urgent Care
Urgent care is medically necessary treatment for an illness or injury that would not result in further disability or death if not immediately treated, but requires professional attention within 24 hours.
Examples of urgent care situations include:
- Sore throat
- Sprain
- Earache
- Rising fever
Emergency Care
If you experience an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Emergency care is treatment for medical, maternity or psychiatric conditions that would lead someone to believe that a serious medical condition exists; that the absence of immediate medical attention would result in a threat to life, limb or sight; when a person has severe, painful symptoms requiring immediate attention to relieve suffering; or when a person is at immediate risk to self or others.
Examples of emergencies include:
- Unconsciousness
- Severe bleeding
- Chest pain
- Broken bone
- Difficulty breathing
Active Duty Service Members
If you need urgent care while traveling in the United States, you must seek care at a military treatment facility (MTF), if one is available. If no MTF is available, a primary care manager (PCM) referral is required before you receive nonemergency care. Active duty service members (ADSMs) traveling overseas and in need of urgent care should contact the TRICARE Global Remote Overseas (TGRO) Alarm Center before seeking care or making payment; in Puerto Rico, ADSMs should call the Puerto Rico Call Center for assistance.
Prior authorization for treatment is not required for emergency care when you travel in the United States, but you should notify your PCM within 24 hours of the visit or by the next business day.
All Other TRICARE Prime Enrollees
If you need urgent care while traveling in the United States, you must contact your PCM for a referral or call Humana Military Healthcare Services, Inc. (Humana Military) for assistance before you receive care. If you do not receive a referral, your care may be covered under the TRICARE point-of-service option, which will result in higher costs.
If you experience an emergency while traveling, you do not need to contact your PCM or Humana Military before receiving care. However, you must notify your PCM or Humana Military within 24 hours or the next business day to ensure proper authorization and to coordinate ongoing care. Contact Humana Military at 1-800-444-5445 for assistance or visit the
Prior Authorization List for the South Region for more information.
If you need urgent or emergency care while traveling overseas, contact the TGRO Alarm Center where you are traveling, or the closest U.S. Embassy Health Unit to help find a host nation provider. For more information and a list of contacts, visit the
TRICARE Global Remote Overseas web site.
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