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Possible military pharmacy changes due to COVID-19

TRICARE Communications
Published March 31, 2020
Graphic of TRICARE pharmacy costs.

Do you use a military pharmacy? If so, there may be temporary limitations that result in s decrease in service or closure at your pharmacy due to COVID-19. To maintain patient and personnel safety, you may have to temporarily switch your prescription to TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery or to a TRICARE retail network pharmacy. (TRICARE Communications graphic)

Do you use a military pharmacy? If so, there may be temporary limitations that result in s decrease in service or closure at your pharmacy due to COVID-19. To maintain patient and personnel safety, you may have to temporarily switch your prescription to TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery or to a TRICARE retail network pharmacy.

“The health and protection of our patients, health care teammates, and the community is essential as we preserve the fighting force,” said Col Markus Gmehlin, Defense Health Agency Pharmacy Operations Division Acting Chief. “We are taking necessary steps to ensure that our teams who are caring for patients and delivering critical medications do so in a safe environment. This may mean temporary limitations to military pharmacy services. We are committed to ensuring that you have access to your prescriptions via home delivery and/or retail network pharmacies in the event that military pharmacy services are temporarily disrupted.”

Your pharmacy options

The best option during this time may be to switch your prescriptions to TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery. You can get up to a 90-day supply of most medications.  While copayments do apply, home delivery is cheaper than the TRICARE retail network. And you don’t have to leave the safety of your own home.

If your medication supply is for 14 days or less, you should consider switching to a TRICARE retail network pharmacy. Copayments apply and you can get up to a 90-day supply of most medications. Check with your network pharmacy provider about medication availability and copayments, or visit the TRICARE Costs tool.

What can I do?

There are several things you can do to make sure you receive your medications.
 

 

  • Call Your Military Pharmacy. Call your military pharmacy refill line to check for changes to service offerings, closures, and resumption of services.
  • Call Express Scripts, Inc. (Express Scripts) at 877-363-1303. Or you can visit Express Scripts to switch your prescription to home delivery.
  • Call Your Retail Network Pharmacy. Ask them to call your military pharmacy to transfer your medication, or call your provider for a new prescription.
  • Find a Retail Network Pharmacy. You can also visit the Express Scripts website to find a retail network pharmacy.

Note: If you don’t have any refills remaining, call your provider to send a new prescription to either the TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery or your TRICARE retail network pharmacy.

As we continue to take proactive steps to lower the spread of the coronavirus, we appreciate your help. Please stay updated by visiting www.tricare.mil/coronavirus and signing up for email updates. You can also find additional information at the Military Health System website. Stay safe and take command of your health.