Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas —
To ensure maximum support, the military often places recruiting agents and their families close to the communities where the youth they serve, but far from facility peer support and medical resources. Masu.
To help bridge this support gap, leaders from the Air Force Recruiting Agency, the Defense Health Agency, and the military's medical program Tricare gathered on January 11 to discuss the unique challenges military recruiters face in remote locations. , especially from a medical perspective. , brainstorm solutions.
“We task our recruiters with the important task of finding young people who are willing and able to serve and protect our country,” said Brig. Gen. Christopher Amrhein, Air Force Recruiting Command commander; “Likewise, it is our responsibility to support these Airmen and their families to the best of our ability.”
Whether they are assigned to the resource-rich city of San Antonio or a remote coastal town in Maine, “our nation's service members and their families deserve the same access to personal, safe, and effective health care.” General Thomas said. Mr. Harrell, Director of Defense Health Network Central. DHN Central is DHA's largest and most complex healthcare network, with 39 hospitals and clinics worldwide.
Most active-duty military and their families who live and work in designated remote locations are eligible for TRICARE Prime, a free plan for beneficiaries whose home and work addresses are more than 80 miles, or an hour's drive, apart. You are choosing to sign up for Remote. Nearest military medical facility. For recruiters located in high-traffic cities like Chicago, driving time standards are extremely important. There, an hour of driving can quickly extend to two or three hours.
While this plan offers flexibility and options, it also brings with it challenges. During the meeting, leaders touched on several key issues identified through research and interactions with recruiters and their families, including:
- There is a shortage of health care providers and specialists in the region, due in part to a national shortage of health care professionals following the pandemic.
- To avoid listing providers who are no longer using TRICARE, you must update the “Find Documents” directory. This also helps prevent excessive travel and out-of-pocket risk for beneficiaries.
- TRICARE Prime Remote benefits, including Prime Travel Reimbursement, are unclear.
- costs associated with prescriptions from network pharmacies and potential delays in home delivery from network pharmacies; express script.
“We see people with health issues, when they are vulnerable and anxious,” Harrell said. “The last thing we want is for them to struggle to access health care.”
Some challenges, such as the shortage of medical professionals, are broad in scope and will take time to resolve through recruitment and retention efforts. In conjunction with this effort, DHA is taking steps to ease medical navigation and improve patient education and information, said DHA's lead provider, his network subject matter expert and former Army recruiter. says Paul Wuerdeman.
First, AFRS leaders are working to identify where access and provider directory challenges are greatest so DHA can focus on the areas that need the most improvement.
Amrhein also said AFRS plans to increase efforts to educate recruiters and their families about health care options. As an example, the recruiting service plans to begin offering monthly TRICARE information sessions for Air Force recruiters-in-training and their families.
“Our purpose is to provide recruiters with medical information prior to their first assignment,” the general said. “We want them to feel supported from the beginning.”
“Our recruiters and their families live and work in areas outside traditional military support structures. Similarly, we play a role in ensuring they all receive the support they need. We need to ensure that America's top recruiters remain focused on their mission.”
– U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Thomas Harrell, Defense Health Network Central Director
This description includes information about Prime Remote, ancillary services like pharmacies, and Prime Travel Benefits. This benefit covers travel costs for working families who receive a referral to a specialty care provider who are more than 100 miles one way from their primary care manager's office and do not have a suitable provider nearby.
Other positive changes will also occur when the new TRICARE contract, known as T-5, takes effect in January 2025. According to a TRICARE release, the purpose of the agreement is to provide increased provider network flexibility, improved provider options, and enhanced telehealth resources. , more efficient referral transfer. Critical to this effort is ensuring that your directory accurately reflects your current network provider.
With more than 800,000 participating providers in TRICARE East alone, updating the directory is a daunting task, notes Dr. James King Jr., DHA Business Operations Specialist. To address this challenge, he explained, the new contract calls for the use of frequent and extensive audits to improve accuracy when patients search for in-network providers.
“We also encourage beneficiaries to contact TRICARE if they find a provider that is not participating in the network,” Wuerdeman added. “By doing so, we will be able to help find participating providers and also help improve the systems of other providers.”
The T-5 Agreement helps expedite this reporting process by adding a link to report provider discrepancies on the TRICARE West website. The link next to the provider name in the directory is currently only available on the TRICARE East page.
The conference ended with a renewed commitment to supporting military recruiters and their families.
“We care deeply about our military families and want to make sure they are taken care of no matter where they live,” she said, accompanying her husband to the conference to provide a military spouse perspective. said Kathy Amrhein, who attended.
With so much attention on the military draft, this effort to strengthen troops and families by improving access to care is more important than ever, her husband added.
“Our nation's recruiters and their families live and work in areas outside of traditional military support structures,” the general said. “Now we must do our part to ensure that all of America’s top recruiters have the support they need so they can stay focused on their missions. .”
Harrell said improving access for recruiters is a step toward improving care for all service members. “The lessons learned and the solutions introduced will benefit all beneficiaries, especially those living in remote areas,” he said. “As a military health system, we will continue to find ways to care for the joint force and those we have the privilege and honor to serve.”
For more information about Prime Remote, please visit: https://tricare.mil/primeremote. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your medical benefits, beneficiaries are encouraged to contact her TRICARE at one of the following numbers:
