5 Steps to Using Tricare for Physical Therapy

Posted on by Terry Abrams

TRICARE is the health care program for almost 9.4 million service members, retirees and their families around the world that provides military health benefits and health care support to ensure mission readiness. Whether you already have TRICARE or are just starting the enrollment process, take the next five minutes to learn the basics.

So how do you use TRICARE for your Physical Therapy needs?

  1. First, talk to your primary care manager as you must go to your primary care manager to get a referral for Physical Therapy.
  2. The second step is to request to be referred out to a specialist. There are Outpatient clinics in the community that are both in-network and out-of-network with TRICARE. We’re talking about in-network, which means your out-of-pocket cost will be less.
  3. The third step would be to search for a specialist. If possible, you want to have a specialist in mind when you go to get the referral. For instance, you can search for CardioFlex Therapy, or our founder and Physical Therapy Director Terry Abrams. Both come up as in-network TRICARE providers, depending upon the database your on-base provider is looking at. Tell your primary care doctor, “I want to see the specialists at CardioFlex Therapy,” and have them refer you out to see us. Typically your primary care will honor your request.
  4. If you are successful at getting the referral, the provider receives an authorization fax within a few days. For instance, if you chose CardioFlex we will get an authorization faxed to us from TRICARE with your information – the diagnosis, the number of visits, and any additional specifications.
  5. The final step is setting up the appointment. Once we get that authorization letter we will call you to schedule your initial evaluation and treatment visit. During that call we will get a better sense of the issue and what types of activities you want to get back to once you’re better. Typically you’ll get about 12 visits authorized to start.

To learn more about what health insurance companies CardioFlex Therapy offers, read our articles here: https://https://www.cardioflextherapy.com/blog/insurances-accepted-at-cardioflex-therapy/ . Call our Physical Therapy outpatient clinic in Davie Florida for detailed information on what your insurance will cover, and a free phone consultation at 954.693.9090. You may also want to visit our In-Home Services page. We serve Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties for your convenience.