I S S U E 7 : 2 0 11 A P U B L I C AT I O N F O R T R I C A R E ® B E N E F I C I A R I E S

An Important Note about TRICARE Program Information: At the time of printing, this information is current. It is important to remember that TRICARE policies and benefits are governed by public law and federal regulations. Changes to TRICARE programs are continually made as public law and/or federal regulations are amended. Military treatment facility guidelines and policies may be different than those outlined in this publication. For the most recent information, contact your TRICARE regional contractor, TRICARE Service Center, or local military treatment facility.

New milConnect Portal Offers Access to Benefit Information and More

Active duty service members (ADSMs), retirees and eligible family members can now use the milConnect portal

to access health care eligibility and personnel information, uniformed services identification cards and information on other benefits, including Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI). Available online at http://milconnect.dmdc.mil, milConnect is replacing Defense Manpower Data Center’s (DMDC’s) previous online portal, mydodbenefits.

You can log on to milConnect’s secure site using a Common Access Card (CAC), Defense Finance and Accounting Services user name and password or Department of Defense Self-Service Logon (DS Logon). You may visit a TRICARE Service Center or a Veterans Affairs Regional Office to complete the required in-person proofing process to request a DS Logon. Go to “Frequently Asked Questions” at www.dmdc.osd.mil/dsaccess for more details. If you need a new uniformed services identification (ID) card, you can visit an ID-issuing facility and request a DS Logon at the same time.

Once you have logged on to the site, you can:

• Update your contact information in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS)

• Print proof of insurance, if enrolled in TRICARE Prime

• Transfer your Post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits (see “Education” drop list)

• View your medical, dental and pharmacy coverage

Some Notices Are Now Sent by E-mail

Under the milConnect portal, certain kinds of mailed correspondence are being replaced with e-mail notifications and online correspondence for ADSMs. E-mail notifications will be sent to ADSMs for the following products:

• TRICARE Enrollment Cards and Welcome Letter

• Change of Primary Care Manager Letter

• Child Turning 21 Letter

• Child Turning 23 Letter

E-mail notifications will only be sent to the work e-mail assigned to the ADSM’s CAC. If there is no CAC e-mail or the CAC e-mail is invalid, the letters will be mailed via the U.S. Postal Service. n

TRICARE Allows Network Pharmacies to Administer Covered Vaccines

TRICARE is expanding the number of preventive vaccines covered at retail network pharmacies. Until

now, the majority of vaccines were only covered when obtained through a physician’s office.

TRICARE covers age-appropriate vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including the high-demand shingles vaccine Zostavax. Since late 2009,

…continued on page 2

Inside This Issue ...• Did You Know? TRICARE’s Parent Review Program

E-mails Pregnancy Tips

• TRICARE Pharmacy Program Releases New Mobile App

• TriWest Brings TRICARE Tools to Your Smartphone

• Human Papillomavirus Can Cause Cancer

• TRICARE Pharmacy Program Copayments

2 Issue 7: 2011www.triwest.com

TRICARE Allows Network Pharmacies to Administer Covered Vaccines…continued from page 1

TRICARE has covered seasonal flu, H1N1 flu and pneumococcal vaccines at retail pharmacies with nearly 300,000 vaccines administered to date. The expanded program covers immunizations for measles, mumps, shingles and many other preventable diseases.

The next time you need a vaccination, keep the following things in mind if you would like to visit a network pharmacy:

• Although all 50 states authorize pharmacists to administer vaccines, state laws vary on which vaccines may be administered in retail pharmacies. You should contact your pharmacist for more information.

• There is no copayment for covered vaccines administered at a participating network pharmacy.

• Approximately 50,000 retail pharmacies nationwide will be able to administer covered vaccines using Express Scripts, Inc.’s (Express Scripts’) commercial vaccine network.

• The shingles vaccine Zostavax, anticipated to be in high demand through retail pharmacies, is currently in low supply and on back order from the supplier. The vaccine is covered for beneficiaries age 60 and older. If you would like to receive this vaccine, please check with your pharmacy to ask if it is in stock.

For more information, including a network pharmacy directory and a complete list of vaccinations that are now covered at pharmacies, please visit www.tricare.mil/vaccines or call Express Scripts at 1-877-363-1303. n

Did You Know? TRICARE’s Parent Review Program E-mails Pregnancy Tips

TRICARE’s Parent Review Program offers weekly e-mails to expectant and new parents who receive care at select

military treatment facilities (MTFs) and civilian practices. Beginning in the seventh week of pregnancy, the Parent Review Program e-mails you tips, questions and answers, information about infant development, parenting news and recent research. The e-mails are customized to your stage of pregnancy or your

baby’s age and may include information from the MTF where your obstetric or pediatric care is provided. The e-mails will continue to provide helpful parenting information to you until your child reaches age 3.

Visit www.tricare.mil/baby to sign up and begin receiving Parent Review Program e-mails. n

TRICARE Pharmacy Program Releases New Mobile App

Express Scripts, Inc. (Express Scripts) has launched a mobile pharmacy app called Express Rx as well as a mobile-

optimized website. These tools allow TRICARE beneficiaries to manage prescriptions and access important health information safely and securely from anywhere using a smartphone.

The Express Rx mobile app and mobile-optimized website will allow you to register for TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery and switch current prescriptions over to home delivery. You can also order home delivery refills and check your order status. With another feature, you can look up information on your current prescriptions. On GPS-enabled smartphones, the app can direct you to the closest retail network pharmacy.

To ensure security and data protection, you must visit www.express-scripts.com/TRICARE and register through

the member portal before logging on to the Express Rx app or mobile-optimized site. Once registered, the same user name and password allow access to the Express Rx mobile app and mobile-optimized website.

Smartphone users can download the app for free by going to www.express-scripts.com/mobile or by using services like the Apple App Store or Android Market. The mobile-optimized pharmacy website can be accessed by visiting http://m.esrx.com.

For more information about TRICARE’s pharmacy benefit, visit www.tricare.mil/pharmacy. To learn about home delivery, go to www.tricare.mil/homedelivery. n

Issue 7: 2011 1-888-TRIWEST 3

TriWest Brings TRICARE Tools to Your Smartphone

Your smartphone now puts information at your fingertips with TriWest Healthcare Alliance’s (TriWest’s) mobile

account tools.

TriWest Mobile App

Get answers to your general TRICARE questions when you are relaxing at home, standing in line or waiting at the doctor’s office. You can download the TriWest mobile app (www.triwest.com/gomobile) for iPhone, iPad or Android. You will have easy access to information such as:

• Preventive care schedules

• Deployment-related health care checklists

• Emergency and urgent care guidelines

• Steps to take after a life-changing event

TriWest Mobile Website

TriWest’s mobile website offers another way to take care of health care business when you are away from your computer. Formatted to fit your phone, m.triwest.com lets you log on to your secure www.triwest.com account to view:

• Specialty care referrals and authorizations

• Claims

• Fees or premiums due (and make a one-time payment)

Text QuickAlerts

If you prefer text over e-mail, TriWest offers text QuickAlert notifications. When you choose to receive QuickAlerts you are notified as soon as your referral, authorization or claim is processed or if a fee is due. You choose which types of notifications you want to receive.

When your text arrives, if you have an Internet connection, the link allows you to log on and see your account. When you get a text that your specialty care was authorized, you can view the referral information, contact your provider and make your appointment. No need to wait until you can get to your computer.

Next Steps

• You need a current www.triwest.com account to select text QuickAlerts and to log on to the mobile site. The same logon information is used for both the full site and the mobile site.

• You must be logged on to the site to change your communication preferences and select text QuickAlerts.

• Text QuickAlerts are only available on participating carriers. Standard text messaging rates apply, based on your cell phone service.

Visiting www.triwest.com/gomobile for more information. n

Human Papillomavirus Can Cause Cancer

Woman can develop cervical cancer because of human papillomavirus (HPV), but there is a

vaccine to prevent it.

You may have heard about HPV before, but how does it actually cause cancer?

HPV can cause some cells in the cervix to change.1 Most HPV infections clear up, but in some cases, they do not. When an infection does not clear up, the HPV-infected cells can become pre-cancerous. If they are not found early enough, the infected cells can turn into invasive cancer of the cervix. It is important to get regular Pap smears, which can detect HPV infection in its early, treatable stages.

How to prevent HPV:

• Get vaccinated—girls and women ages 11–26 years old should receive the HPV vaccination, but it can be given to

girls as young as age 9.2 TRICARE covers all vaccinations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• Get regular Pap smears—this is the best way to detect pre-cancerous cells before they develop into cancer. TRICARE covers Pap smears under its clinical preventive services benefit, so you will not have to pay anything out of pocket for this screening.

More information about cervical cancer prevention is available at www.triwest.com/prevention. n

1. www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/HPV

2. www.cdc.gov/hpv

TRICARE Pharmacy Program CopaymentsAs of Oct. 1, 2011, beneficiaries using TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery can fill generic prescriptions at no cost. The table below lists pharmacy costs. n

Type of PharmacyFormulary Drugs

Non-Formulary Drugs (Tier 3)1Generic(Tier 1)

Brand Name(Tier 2)

Military Treatment Facility (up to a 90-day supply)

$0 $0 Not Applicable2

TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery (up to a 90-day supply)

$0 $9 $251

Retail Network Pharmacy (up to a 30-day supply)

$5 $12 $251

Non-Network Pharmacy (up to a 30-day supply)

TRICARE Prime options: 50% copayment applies after point-of-service (POS) deductible is met

TRICARE Prime options: 50% copayment applies after POS deductible is met

1. Not available to active duty service members without medical-necessity approval, in which case, the copayment is $0.2. Not available without medical-necessity approval.

4 Issue 7: 2011

TriWest Healthcare Alliance P.O. Box 42049 Phoenix, AZ 85080

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Superior health care

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High satisfaction with care

Low out-of-pocket costs

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