Normally, I do not complain about Tricare. While it isn’t the greatest health care system in the world, it’s certainly not the worst. Growing up a sickly child, I never really had major issues getting medical care. Now that I’m an adult, my experiences have been mixed. Mac isn’t stationed at a post stateside and deployed from there. His unit is stationed overseas (same as if he went to Korea or Germany then deployed from there), so I fall in a bit of a grey area when it comes to service. I needed to make a yearly check-up and to get a prescription renewed. It was quite the adventure.
Timeline:
The third week of February: log on to Tricare online to set up an account and to make an appointment. Account states I cannot make an appointment online.
Wednesday, February 26:
2:15 pm Call to set up an account. Discover that I’m still enrolled in Tricare South while Virginia is assigned to Tricare North. Get transferred then have to call a different number because the number listed in neither for Tricare Prime (which I didn’t know we had) nor for Tricare North. Find out that while Fairfax Health Center is closer, they have no new patient openings. Get assigned to Walter Reed. Successfully enroll as a new patient with a specific primary care provider (PCM). Lady tells me it will take three business days or they’ll call back letting me know that I’m in the system.
3:15 pm: Receive call that I’m officially set up and can make an appointment right away.
3:30 pm: Call Walter Reed to make an appointment. Surprise, I’m not showing up in the system. Lady tells me to wait a day or two then call back.
Friday, February 28:
Attempt several calls during the day. All operators are busy due to high call volume. Have to hang up to go to work.
Monday, March 3:
Shockingly, the federal government continues to close due to a snow storm (it really wasn’t that bad). Can’t make an appointment.
Tuesday, March 4:
9:15 am: The appointment line is operating on a delayed start due to yesterday’s weather.
11:30 am: Call, sit on hold, and finally get connected with an operator. Find out that while I’m enrolled as a patient with my PCM, I cannot make an appointment because I’m not enrolled in Walter Reed’s system. The kindly man helps me out, fixes the error, but tells me I have to call back in at least 20 minutes for it to take effect.
12:30 pm: I call back and manage to get the same helpful guy. He verifies everything checks out and mentions that they have a 3 pm appointment. I take it (since I can’t do the rest of this week and don’t have next week’s schedule). He tells me what building and floor I need to go to.
2:40 pm: After almost an hour long ride, I get off the Metro and begin the hike over to the hospital. Freak out after looking at map that this Walter Reed is not at the same location as the old Walter Reed. Pull up the hospital website to verify I’m in the right place.
2:55 pm: Apparently, the kindly, helpful Tricare agent actually told me to go to an oncology department. Two full buildings away from where I need to go.
3:07 pm: I arrive after a bit of power walking and confused wandering.
Who else has had interesting experiences with Tricare?
While my hubs was deployed I went home to Kentucky (from Fort Lewis, WA) for half of the deployment. Kentucky is considered Tricare North unless you’re at Fort Campbell, which is Tricare South. Home is only an hour from Fort Campbell. This created a series of issues and no one knew what to do with me. It was the same issue; I needed an annual visit to refill a prescription. I got the exact same series of problems.
TriWest is what Fort Lewis operates with and I have never, EVER had worse healthcare. Since when does a receptionist get to tell me what I can and can’t make an appointment for? Since when do I have to call a 1-800 number to MAYBE get an appointment with my PCM? It was a struggle bus. Just to be frank, this is government healthcare. While it sometimes works, it is far from efficient. Enjoy, America!
Life and medical care have been much better here at Fort Campbell. I feel you though, girl, I feel you!
Holy smokes…seriously, what an ordeal!
Oh wow! What a crazy ordeal!
When it comes to verifying benefits for that insurance it’s a pain in my rear end. Also when trying to get them to write a referral correctly….and then having to fill out paperwork that the DR was supposed to fill out….not me….makes me dislike the insurance even more. DISLIKE having to have a primary care referral for PT. So things on that end could be better. They need to get their stuff together. But that’s just my opinion from one experience. >:(