TRICARE: Question One

re: Advocacy Day 2008: Question One

Sandra C. Walker, MD — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:50:52 GMT

I am not currently seeing Tricare patients, although my private practice is open to new patients, including Tricare patients. In the past, I have had frustrations with Tricare with regard to low reimbursement rates and slow Tricare payment. I haven't had Tricare patient referrals recently. I practice in downtown Seattle (First Hill), which may not be convenient for military families. I am also not in the Tricare network, if there is one. I would like more information on Tricare.

re: Advocacy Day 2008: Question One

Jeffrey Akaka, MD — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:51:25 GMT

I work at a CMHC, and take care of veterans, even if they have tricare, from which I don't know specifically if we get reimbursed.

Comments from colleagues uniformly have been that tricare is extremely difficult to work with due to the hassle factor.

re: Advocacy Day 2008: Question One

Amy Ursano — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:09:21 GMT

Yes I am willing to take TRICARE but am at a University hospital that determines the specifics of this. Do not know specifically my current percentage. Our clinic and inpatient services have perceptions historically (cannot comment if accurate or not) that reimbursement is quite low, that it is difficult to get authorization/precert that there is not much flexibility in the system. For example if patient comes to our emergency clinic and our staff precerts visit thinking a certain attending is on call, but when patint arrives, another attending is available, we may not be able to transfer precert or may not get reimbursed. From an inpatient perspective, these cases seem to come up for peer to peer review more commonly than other insurance. Again, I do not know the reality of this but these are common perceptions held by our faculty.

re: Advocacy Day 2008: Question One

Vince Blanch and Paul O'Leary — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:57:56 GMT

We are both resident members of the APA. I (Vince) am currently a PGY-5 at UK in Lexington KY and Paul is a PGY-3 at UAB. I see Tricare patients via my involvement in the VA system at least 1.5 days a week. Paul has never seen Tricare patients previously. As far as the rest of the answers...we can't comment because there are other factors (outside of our control) that decide who we see and when we see them.