A Washington state congresswoman is urging Defense Health Agency officials to quickly find solutions to problems plaguing the TriWest Healthcare Alliance contract transition, citing “significant feedback” from dozens of her military constituents in the Tricare West Region.
Rep. Marilyn Strickland, D-Wash., said beneficiaries are experiencing “unending delays in reaching TriWest customer service, inoperable or overloaded websites unable to process payments, and an incomplete network of providers.”
“The combined effect of this mismanagement has led to canceled referrals, appointments, and even surgeries. Ultimately, TriWest’s lack of preparedness, and the Defense Health Agency’s lack of contract oversight are actively harming military readiness and the lives of our service members, families and retirees,” Strickland wrote in a Friday letter addressed to Army Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland, Defense Health Agency director, and Dr. David J. Smith, acting principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.
Specifically, Strickland, whose district includes Joint Base Lewis-McChord, said she is concerned about reports that the network of health care providers covered by TriWest is significantly smaller than what was offered under the previous contractor, Health Net Federal Services.
“Despite a year preparing for this change, providers report communications failures with TriWest and a lack of information on how to apply under the new network,” Strickland said.
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Defense Health Agency officials had not responded to Strickland’s letter by the time of this report’s publication.
But in a response to questions from Military Times about a number of problems with the transition earlier this week, DHA spokeswoman Brenda Campbell acknowledged DHA was aware of issues related to the contract switch.
“We are working hand in hand with our managed care support contractor to address these,” Campbell said.
Many of the reported issues with the contract switch stem from certain beneficiaries who must update their payment information with TriWest, Military Times previously reported. Beneficiaries who make payments by electronic funds transfer, credit card or debit card are required to provide that payment information to TriWest, but many have been unable to access the web portal to do so, with some reporting waiting times of over an hour.
TriWest officials have told Military Times they are working to increase staffing to meet the demands. This week, Tricare officials announced a payment update extension until Feb. 28.
Also in her letter, Strickland asked whether TriWest has a timeline for when it expects its website to be fully functional and its call centers sufficiently staffed. She also inquired about the number of West Region beneficiaries whose network primary care manager changed due to the transition, the timeline for provider credentialing and DHA’s and TriWest’s respective plans to ensure continuity of care for patients while a new provider network is built.
Additionally, Strickland sought details on whether DHA is considering any temporary policies, such as a specialty care referral waiver, to facilitate access to care during the transition.
Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book “A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families.” She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.
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