TriCare online a better way to make appointments

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Carolyn Viss
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The 7th Medical Group is moving ahead with their plan to use TRICARE's Web site as the primary system for appointment scheduling. 

Because the Web system is superior to the current phone-in appointment scheduling, the group is asking all beneficiaries to explore the Web site, www.tricareonline.com, and see how much easier appointment making is. 

"This system's been online for about five years now, but only a marginal number of bases have fully accepted it as a primary means of scheduling appointments," said Lt. Col. Charles Chapdelaine, 7th Medical Support Squadron commander. "Now that all the bugs are worked out of the system and we have a full staff of providers, our goal is go get 100 percent of our customers (who have Internet access) to use the online system to schedule appointments." 

According to the TRICARE Web site, this is a "gateway to the new, improved TRICARE Online for beneficiaries and military staff. Authorized users can schedule and view appointments; access approved health content; access personal health information; use pharmacy tools; check medications; access military staff applications and much more." 

The advantages, Colonel Chapdelaine said, are many. 

"The Web is available to people who have Internet access 24/7; but our appointment phone line is only open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday," Colonel Chapdelaine said. "Booking online eliminates waiting for a person on the other end of the phone." 

In addition to the around-the-clock access, customers will have a wider range of provider access, he said. Appointments may be made up to 30 days in advance, and if someone's primary care physician is unavailable, they may see the full schedule of providers who are available and choose from any of the other physicians on Dyess' staff.
"Our goal here is really to accommodate the needs of the patients, and the online system is the best way we can do that," Colonel Chapdelaine said. 

In order to book an appointment, each user must create a personalized identification and password. Parents must create logins for their dependents. There are categories of appointments that must be followed. 

"Users can choose to categorize their needs and schedule accordingly," Colonel Chapdelaine said. 

The categories include new problem/urgent, follow-up, first time appointments, annuals, flight physicals, women's health appointments, PHAs, and more. 

The same 24-hour advance cancellation policy will be in effect for the online system, he said, but cancelling an appointment requires only a log in and a click of the mouse.
In addition to scheduling appointments, the Web site contains self-assessments and other personal health features, Colonel Chapdelaine said. 

"This is just another faster, easier service that allows appointment makers to be fully in control of what and when they make appointments, and we hope everyone makes good use of it," he said.