Today’s TRICARE network providers are an important component of the U.S. Military Health System. Years ago, military treatment facilities (MTFs) rendered the majority of care to Department of Defense (DoD) beneficiaries. Now, approximately two thirds of that care is rendered by civilian providers through the TRICARE program.
Caring for Wounded Warriors
As of September 2009, a total of 31,494 U.S. service members have been wounded in hostile action since the start of military operations in Iraq,
1 and many of these warriors are located in the 10 states of the TRICARE South Region. These wounded warriors arrive at Andrews Air Force Base and are
then transferred to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the National Naval Medical Center or other facilities based on medical needs and proximity to family and their home base.
Army wounded warriors are assigned to Warrior Transition Units (WTUs) during their periods of healing and rehabilitation, and they may require civilian medical care during this time. Thirty-six WTUs are located on military bases, 10 of which are in the South Region. Nine community based WTUs, three of which are in the South Region, serve active duty Army and National Guard and Reserve soldiers who are not close to a military base. The Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force have similar organizations to support their wounded warriors as they go through healing and rehabilitation. The DoD is improving coordination with the Department of Veterans Affairs to ease wounded warriors’ transition into the civilian community. It is important to remember that civilian care for active duty service members
must be referred from an MTF.
Provider Education and Resources
To help you learn more about two signature injuries of war, Humana Military offers free continuing medical education on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the
Online Learning Center found in Tools & Resources within the Provider Portal .Suicide is a growing concern to our military—the Army reported 128 suicides in 2008, the highest since it began tracking in 1980.
2 To help you screen for suicide risk, Humana Military offers Behavioral Health tools and resources that are located in
Behavioral Health within the Health & Wellness section of the Provider Portal. You can access the following Behavioral Health Forms from here:
Many service members receive multiple medications from various sources to help manage PTSD and TBI. The result is a possible increase in the risk of unintentional overmedication. Review of medications cannot be emphasized enough, particularly if new medications are being added to a patient’s treatment plan.
If you need additional information as you treat a wounded warrior, you may call our Warrior Navigation
and Assistance Program line at 1-888-4GO-WNAP (1-888-446-9627) and a team member will be happy to provide you with guidance.
1 http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/oif-wounded-total.pdf
2 http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=52879
