Do you have TRICARE Prime? If so, you likely get most of your routine healthcare from your primary care manager. But sometimes, you may need specialty care that your PCM can’t provide. This is when your PCM will give you a referral. Having a referral can reduce your out-of-pocket expenses. Referrals can also help reduce the time you need to wait to get specialty care.

When was the last time you looked to see if your information in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System is up to date? If it’s been a while, it’s extremely important to take time and log in to DEERS to review or update your information. DEERS is key to managing military health benefits, supporting the needs of service members, retirees, and their family members. You should make sure to update your information in DEERS so your family can get the benefits they deserve.

TRICARE is more than a health plan – it's peace of mind for military families around the world. Hear directly from TRICARE beneficiaries as they share how TRICARE has supported them through every stage of military life.

If you live or travel overseas, you can still get your TRICARE-covered prescriptions. But the process works differently overseas than it does in the U.S. It also depends on whether you’re traveling or if you live overseas permanently. Knowing your options ahead of time can save you stress, time, and money.

Annual Wellness Visits and CYS/Sports Physicals: ☀️Summer is the perfect time to check annual wellness visits and sports physicals off your family's to-do list! The Madigan Pediatrics Clinic has added appointments for children ages 5 and older to complete Annual Wellness Visits and CYS/Sports Physicals during the summer months. If your child needs a CYS/Sports Physical and Annual Wellness Visit, call the Pediatrics Clinic at 253-968-3066, option 4, to schedule an appointment. 📋 Please remember to bring completed CYS/Sports Physical paperwork to your appointment. Scheduling these visits before the school year begins helps ensure your child is healthy, ready to learn and prepared to participate in sports and activities!

UPDATE: Effective 1 August 2026, the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Services will no longer accept paper orders (written or printed) from outside providers. Laboratory tests, when ordered by an outside provider as part of a Tricare referral, are included and embedded with the referral to ensure the ordered receive proper result routing, coding, billing, and follow up. When outside orders are performed at Madigan, the provider cannot access the results quickly as they do not have access to MHS Genesis. This results in a delay of care. An additional safety concern is that any critical values (defined as a result that needs immediate medical attention) cannot be appropriately acted upon due to the lack of connection between the outside provider and MHS Genesis. Due to these concern, the Laboratory at Madigan is no longer processing outside orders. What does that mean for you, as the patient? If you see a doctor outside of a Military Treatment Facility, you will need to have your lab work done at their recommended facility. Ask your provider: When your outside provider orders a lab test, ask them, “Where should I go to get this collected?” Know your options: Major health systems (like MultiCare, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, and UW Medicine) typically use their own internal labs. Smaller doctor’s offices usually send patients to commercial labs such as LabCorp. If you need help selecting an outside provider or navigating your care, please reach out to your Primary Care Manager or TriCare representative.

Defense Health Agency Director Vice Adm. Darin K. Via has formally established regional centers of excellence to deliver premier specialty care supporting critical warfighting capabilities. Emerging in response to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, the new Specialty Care Centers of Excellence are designed to enhance warfighter medical readiness and improve healthcare quality for all Military Health System beneficiaries, aligning with Via’s Lines of Effort to reinforce DHA as a combat support agency. In expanding the Centers of Excellence, DHA will mirror the successful models of established centers within the enterprise in oncology, traumatic brain injury, and ocular trauma. The new Centers of Excellence combine expertise, resources, and patient referrals to serve as specialized facilities providing “integrated, interdisciplinary care for complex medical and surgical conditions,” said Dr. Chin Hee Kim, action officer for Specialty Care Centers of Excellence and deputy chief of the medicine clinical service line at DHA. This effort underscores the agency’s commitment “to modernizing the MHS through this now larger network of cutting-edge facilities,” she added. “We’ve had many years of experience with Centers of Excellence with a primary focus on research. This new initiative is focused on how we can optimize patient care delivery,” she elaborated. Formal designation of these centers “helps us communicate and highlight the great work that's been going on for decades, so that our beneficiaries choose to receive care within military hospitals and clinics.” The military hospitals and clinics receiving Center of Excellence designation are: Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center: Fort Belvoir, Virginia Brooke Army Medical Center: Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas Madigan Army Medical Center: Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington Naval Medical Center San Diego: San Diego, California Walter Reed National Military Medical Center: Bethesda, Maryland Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center: Joint Base San Antonio, Texas In May 2026, fifteen military hospitals received an “A” from the nationally recognized Leapfrog safety assessment. Kim noted, “This formal designation validates all of the great work our military hospitals and clinics have been doing and also makes patients aware of the options they have.” The formally designated Centers of Excellence include specialties in: Amputations and prosthetics at WRNMMC, BAMC, and NMCSD Burn injuries and wound care at U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research co-located at BAMC Infectious diseases and preventive medicine at BAMC Maxillofacial restoration at NMCSD and BAMC Ocular trauma previously designated in 2022 at BAMC, WHASC, WRNMMC, ATAMMC, NMCSD, MAMC Oncology previously designated in 2012 at WRNMMC Orthopedic care at WRNMMC and ATAMMC Psychological health and traumatic brain injury previously designated in 2010 at WRNMMC Substance use disorder at BAMC Transplant surgery at WRNMMC “Our Centers of Excellence provide the best possible care, convenience and cost savings to patients, empowering them to seek leading-edge, innovative care,” said Dr. Paul R. Cordts, deputy assistant director for medical affairs at DHA. “Implementing the Centers of Excellence across military hospitals and clinics will advance care for warfighters to be safe, healthy, and fit to fight.” The expansion of the centers aims for service members and families to have access to first-rate, expert healthcare for any injury or illness, no matter the complexity, to bolster a ready medical force. The strategic shift will ensure “all beneficiaries — past, present, and future — have more robust choices in access to timely, high-quality specialty care, leading to improved health outcomes and a stronger, healthier military community,” Kim said. Cost savings for patients, complex cases for providers The new Specialty Care Centers of Excellence presents potential financial advantages for both patients and the enterprise. “Beneficiaries have the choice to receive care at a world-class Center of Excellence within the MHS, which may reduce out-of-pocket financial impact,” Kim said. Beyond individual savings, she noted that keeping complex cases inside the MHS lends further benefits “since providing healthcare is an inherent requirement, treating patients within our Specialty Care Centers of Excellence allows us to maximize existing clinical talent to deliver excellent care and significantly reduce private-sector costs.” Treatment through Specialty Care Centers of Excellence attracts beneficiaries requiring complex multidisciplinary care to the MHS, which ensures military providers maintain their medical warrior currency and readiness for future operations. Kim noted consolidating multidisciplinary care teams for each specialty at the military hospitals and clinics will provide care teams with the capability and capacity to accept the most complicated cases within each discipline. “Centers of Excellence are uniquely positioned to treat complex diagnoses and conditions while supporting patient recovery across the continuum from diagnosis to rehabilitation.” The establishment of Centers of Excellence “positions the MHS as a global leader, particularly in fields like maxillofacial restoration where no civilian equivalent exists,” Kim said, noting the agency’s “commitment ensures service members receive treatments that minimize lifelong maintenance and maximize long-term health.” An example of benefits from a Specialty Care Center of Excellence, Kim said, is the pilot program in maxillofacial restoration demonstrating remarkable success. The study showed “94% of active-duty service members returned to full duty within 16 weeks of their operations,” directly reducing nondeployable days. Streamlined referrals and partnerships To ensure this expansion is seamless for military hospital and clinic healthcare providers, as well as TRICARE network providers, standardized referral processes are being implemented, solidifying a joint warfighting effort through data sharing and clinical cohesion. All referrals to the Centers of Excellence will be managed by central referral management centers, according to Kim. “Each specialty has developed specific referral eligibility criteria that will soon be available to providers, referral managers, and managed care support contractors.” The initiative also draws on flourishing partnerships between the Department of War and the Department of Veterans Affairs to share patient data, best practices, and clinical guidelines. “Many beneficiaries we serve may transition at some point to the VA,” Kim said. “There is synergy between the two systems to mutually refer patients based on which side has the right set of expertise and resources to provide the care.” At the foundation of the expansion is accessible, specialty care for the warfighter no matter the condition, she added. “This expansion will improve access because we're getting the right patients to the right location to get the right care that they deserve.”

MADIGAN ARMY MEDICAL CENTER, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. -- Retirees, family members, and beneficiaries visited Waller Hall for the Retiree Health Fair, where they connected with experts from across Joint Base Lewis-McChord and learned about the health care resources available to them. Representatives from a variety of medical services answered questions and provided information on preventive screenings, laboratory services, health education classes and other programs designed to support lifelong health and wellness. Attendees also had the opportunity to pick up a complimentary copy of the new Puget Sound Patient Guidebook, a comprehensive resource designed to help Military Health System beneficiaries navigate health care services throughout the Puget Sound region. Following the health fair, many attendees continued the celebration at Freedom Fest, part of America's 250th Birthday observance. The event featured the I Corps and Freedom Fest Retiree Appreciation Day, carnival rides, Kids World, static military displays, JBLM Fight Night, live entertainment, food and a variety of family-friendly activities.