Change is coming Dec. 1 to the TRICARE Retail Pharmacy network, and Naval Hospital Bremerton (NHB) can help if needed.

The TRICARE pharmacy contractor, Express Scripts Inc. (ESI), will implement a change by adding all Walgreens pharmacies to the network and removing all CVS pharmacies, including those in Target stores. Beneficiaries who continue to fill a prescription at CVS after the change will pay the full cost of their prescription up-front, and will then need to file a claim for partial reimbursement as from any other non-network pharmacy.

There are several key points behind this decision. The network change will mean there is now more than 57,000 retail pharmacies in the U.S., including other pharmacy chains, such as Rite Aid, Walmart and supermarkets that will remain in the TRICARE retail pharmacy network. The change will also expand access to 24-hour, drive-through pharmacies, with an estimated 98 percent of beneficiaries having a network pharmacy within 5 miles of their homes.

Additionally, NHB pharmacies at the main facility, NHB Refill Annex, Branch Health Clinic (BHC) Bangor, BHC Everett, BHC Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and the TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery program are lower-cost pharmacy options still available to beneficiaries.

Lt. Cmdr. Eric Parsons, NHB Pharmacy Department head, cited Naval Hospital Bremerton Pharmacy and the TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery are both excellent, money-saving alternatives for beneficiaries.

"We've been advocating the Home Delivery option for several years; it offers our TRICARE beneficiaries excellent care and service in addition to lower out-of-pocket costs when compared to obtaining chronic maintenance medications from the retail network," said Parsons.

Parsons attested Naval Hospital Bremerton has an extensive formulary of medications available for beneficiaries, and Home Delivery provides an accommodating option for TRICARE beneficiaries to get their maintenance medications, especially for those who live farther away from a military pharmacy.

"These choices are both less expensive than using the TRICARE retail network," said Parsons. "Home Delivery can offer the convenience of having maintenance medications delivered directly to your home. A beneficiary will pay more to get their prescription filled at a non-network pharmacy, and they very well might need to pay up front and then file a claim for reimbursement."

Parsons added if someone decides to try the Naval Hospital Bremerton or BHC Everett pharmacy, they can call ahead for a new prescription at 360-475-4425 to make sure their medication is available.

Home Delivery is the most convenient and cost-saving way to refill a prescription. There are no shipping fees for up to a 90-day supply of medication to any address in the U.S. or overseas duty stations. For TRICARE Home Delivery, there are no out-of-pocket costs for up to a 90-day supply of generic medication, versus $8-47 co-pay for up to a 30-day supply from a TRICARE retail pharmacy. Home Delivery can also provide automatic prescription refills so a beneficiary does not have to worry about last minute phone calls or dashes to the pharmacy.

NHB offers several convenient ways to refill prescriptions:

Online - Use our online prescription refill service by accessing TRICARE here. It is secure, fast, and no cost.

By Phone - One call takes care of it. Just call (360) 475-4217 to refill your prescription.

In Person - There are the five locations mentioned above where a patient may pick up a refilled prescription.

There are also easy steps to start refilling prescriptions at Naval Hospital Bremerton today. Beneficiaries do not have to enroll to use NHB pharmacies, but can either stop by or call NHB's Patient Administration Department at (360) 475-4449 or (360) 475-4798 to register in order to start using NHB's pharmacy.

Each new prescription must be presented to the pharmacy for initial filling. Once it is filled the first time, a patient will receive a prescription number. Thereafter the prescription can be refilled online through the NHB webpage or via telephone. Pick-up/delivery options vary.

To switch to home delivery for pharmacy refills, beneficiaries can also visit www.tricare.mil/homedelivery or call 1-877-782-8731.

NHB's formulary listing is also available online at http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nhbrem/patients/Pages/pharmacy.asp.

Beneficiaries who continue to get select maintenance drugs at a network pharmacy will pay 100 percent of the cost. This does not apply to active-duty service members.

Patient costs vary based on where a beneficiary gets their prescription filled and the type of drug -- generic, brand name or non-formulary. Beneficiaries can save on cost by asking their doctor to electronically-submit prescriptions for formulary medications to the NHB pharmacy for subsequent filling instead of to a network pharmacy.

"We are available to assist," Parsons stressed.

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