The Near Patient Program is Helping Military Families Overseas
The Near Patient Program is Helping Military Families Overseas
The Near Patient Program was created to give TRICARE Families overseas extra support. The program allows families to find the access they need to medical and non-medical professionals in their overseas locations. When stationed overseas, you might have some trouble figuring out where to go for your medical needs. The Near Patient Program can help with that.
Michael Griffin, program analyst with the TRICARE Overseas Program Office at the Defense Health Agency, stated, “The Near Patient Program helps beneficiaries based in certain overseas locations with their health care needs. Service members and their families can often experience cultural and language barriers in a foreign country. This program makes navigating the overseas health care system easier, so families have a more positive patient experience.”
The Near Patient Program team features clinical and non-clinical staff assisting families in navigate the overseas health care system. The teams work with overseas civilian providers, MTFs, the TRICARE area office (TAO), and Combatant Commands (COCOMS) to address the patient’s medical or cultural questions.
What Services Does the Near Patient Program Provide
Listed on the Tricare Overseas website is this list of what they provide:
- Explain the in-country health care system based on local expertise
- Break down local medical practices and help bridge cultural gaps and nuances
- Answer medical questions and help to improve patients’ understanding of care
- Provide comprehensive assistance from beginning to end of the patient journey
- Oversee inpatient admissions and collaborate with others, as appropriate
- Work with local providers to ensure medical records collection and resolution of non-clinical issues
As you can see, this can be very helpful to those overseas who find the medical process confusing or just need reassurance that they are getting the best care possible.
Who qualifies for the Near Patient Program? Those who are enrolled in TRICARE Prime Overseas or TRICARE Prime Remote Overseas. Service members and their families also need to be in one of the following countries:
- Germany
- Italy
- Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg)
- Spain
- Greece
- Poland
- Bahrain
- South Korea
- Japan
Beyond having TRICARE Overseas and being stationed in one of those locations, you will need to make sure that you or a family member has opened a case with the TRICARE Overseas Program in the past two years.
If you are stationed overseas and not near a program, you can find support through the TOP Regional Call Center.
How do you contact your local Near Patient Program team? You would do so through the MyCare Overseas beneficiary app. You can use the portal live chat feature. You can find this app in the Apple Store or on Google Play. They also have a web-based portal to pull up on your laptop or computer.
Make sure to take advantage of this program if you are overseas or will be in the future. This will help you during your time overseas and allow you to continue to get the medical care you and your family need.
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About the author
Julie Provost is a freelance writer, and blogger. She lives in Tennessee with her National Guard husband and three boys.
