DOD begins Tricare Retail Pharmacy Published June 1, 2004 WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Department of Defense officials announced that on June 1 the new Tricare Retail Pharmacy contract takes effect for Tricare beneficiaries located in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam.The contract has about 53,000 civilian pharmacies in the nationwide network. In the past, the Tricare regional contractors provided retail pharmacy services.Most beneficiaries should not notice the change in services with the new contract, officials said. To use the new retail pharmacy program, as with all other DOD health programs, beneficiaries must be eligible and enrolled in the defense enrollment eligibility reporting system.The program has many new enhancements. Pharmacy claims processing is now centralized, and beneficiaries no longer have to mail claims to multiple sites for processing or call various telephone numbers to get assistance filling a prescription when using the retail network. Patient safety has also been enhanced by the pharmacy data transaction service that processes all claims, including paper claims.For a single copayment of $3 for a generic or $9 for a brand-name prescription, eligible beneficiaries may continue to receive a 30-day supply of their prescription medication from the new network of retail pharmacies. To use this benefit, a written pharmacy prescription and a uniformed services identification card are required. Tricare beneficiaries who used a retail pharmacy in 2003 will receive, by mail, a pharmacy identification card, a Tricare Retail Pharmacy benefit guide and a letter listing the 12 network pharmacies closest to their home.The benefit is now portable. Beneficiaries traveling outside of their designated Tricare region who need to fill a prescription are no longer required to pay the full prescription price or file a Tricare claim to get reimbursed for their out-of-pocket expenses when they use a Tricare retail network pharmacy. Pharmacy copayments are the same in every location where the retail pharmacy is available.To locate a network pharmacy, beneficiaries may use the Tricare pharmacy locator service available online at www.express-scripts.com/TRICARE, or they may call (866) 363-8779.For eligible beneficiaries with other health insurance, Tricare pays after all other insurance plans have paid. To use Tricare as the secondary payer or to obtain reimbursement for their out-of-pocket pharmacy expenses, beneficiaries will need to submit a Tricare claim Defense Department Form 2642 and a receipt for their prescription medication.Express Scripts can mail prescription medications to any U.S. postal address or to an APO/FPO address. However, it cannot send prescriptions to a private, foreign address. Prescriptions must be prescribed by providers who are licensed to practice in the United States.