Appointments

Appointment 'No Shows' hurt everybody

Patients who neither keep, reschedule, or cancel their scheduled appointments have a negative impact on the care we are able to offer. This includes loss of medical staff, curtailment of services, and the inability of fellow patients to get appointments. If the patient arrives more than 10 minutes late, staff will offer to work the patient in to see their provider (or a different provider) before the end of day. If the patient chooses to reschedule, the patient status will then be considered as a “No-Show”. We ask all beneficiaries of our facilities to help reduce "No Shows" and contact us prior to an appointment to cancel or reschedule. To help ensure that we provide you with the greatest patient care possible, we recommend that you please plan to arrive 5 to 10 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment.

In the event you cannot make your appointment

We understand that sometimes circumstances come up that may prohibit you from keeping your hospital appointment. In the event you cannot keep your appointment please call to cancel as early as possible.

To cancel an appointment call (866) 957-9224 and press Option 2 or log into your patient portal, MHS Genesis

- If you require emergency care, dial 911 and go to the nearest emergency room. 24/7 TRICARE telephone: dial 1-800-874-2273

Urgent care appointments (acute):

If you require an acute or urgent care appointment for a non-emergency illness or injury (ear ache, high fever, etc), the military treatment facility must provide you an appointment within 24 hours at the military treatment facility. If it is after hours please call Tricare’s Nurse Advice line at 800-874-2273 24/7. All Active Duty must obtain a referral for Urgent Care facilities not at the MTF from the RN case manager by calling Tricare’s Nurse Advice line at 800-874-2273.

Telehealth for urgent care is offered 24/7. Get care from your home right away. Visit https://weed-irwin.tricare.mil/Getting-Care/Telemedicine-Services for more information.

To make an appointment, log into the MHS GENESIS Patient Portal at: https://patientportal.mhsgenesis.health.mil. Use Patient Portal to send a message to your provider or call the Central Appointment Desk.

Routine primary care appointments:

If you require an appointment for routine care (flu, colds, allergies, check-ups, etc) the military treatment facility must provide you an appointment within 7 days.

Wellness care appointments:

If you require an appointment for a wellness visit, (mammogram, pap smears, physicals, health maintenance, etc), the military treatment facility must provide you an appointment within 28 days.

Specialty care appointments:

If you require an initial appointment for specialty care, (cardiology, orthopedics, podiatry, etc), the military treatment facility must provide you an initial appointment within 28 days.

Follow-up visits (per medical plan):

Access standards do not apply to follow-up visits. The provider requesting the appointment determines the standard.

Preparing For Your Visit

• Consider bringing someone with you who can provide moral support and help advocate for you. If you are unable to bring someone with you to your appointment, you may request a staff chaperone.
• If you have a service animal please register them with the Patient Advocate prior to your first appointment. If you need interpreter services or sign language please contact the Patient Advocate to assist with arrangements. 
• Come to your visit with a list of prioritized questions for your provider. This will optimize your time with your provider and ensure you leave with all of your most important questions answered. You can use the Discussion Guide below guide the conversation with your provider. 
• Bring any important medical records you have from your previous health care provider. Also bring any recent records from civilian providers to review with your care team. Having a summary document with health history including chronic conditions, medications, immunizations and previous illnesses or surgeries will help guide the conversation with your new provider. 
• Bring your government-issued photo ID and your military ID.
• It is helpful to have either your prescription bottles with you, or a list of prescriptions and dosage information with you at your appointment, including any over-the-counter vitamins or supplements you are taking. Be sure to tell your provider if you have changed prescriptions or dosage.
• You may not be able to address everything on your list during a single appointment. Be sure to schedule a follow up appointment to ensure that all your concerns are addressed. It is not unusual to run out of time during an appointment. However, it is important that each issue is given appropriate time and scheduling another appointment is the best way to ensure that this occurs.

Discussion Guide

BEFORE YOUR VISIT

Consider bringing someone with you who can provide moral support and help advocate for you. If you are unable to bring someone with you to your appointment, you may request a staff chaperone.

For new patients to the MHS	For patients already in the MHS
Past health contact information Medical records Medications and prescriptions Previous illnesses and surgeries Insurance information	Medications and prescriptions Third-party insurance information Any major life changes that could affect your wellbeing

DISCUSSIONS WITH YOUR PROVIDER

Any concerns, feelings, or questions you have about your health and care?

Regarding your health, discuss:	Regarding your care, discuss:	Ask questions, don't be shy!
Progress you have made Pain, discomfort, or unusual feelings Changes to your environment Any potential risks Your long-term goals	Tasks you have completed Plans or preferences for your care Timing and expectations Procedures, treatments, or tests People who support you	What do I need to do and why? What can I expect going forward? What should I be aware of? Who can I contact with questions or concerns? What are the risks, benefits, and alternatives of the treatment?

Referrals 

Patient Referral Office

The Referral Management Office is responsible for facilitating the referral process for all Active Duty Service members and TRICARE Prime beneficiaries enrolled at Weed Army Community Hospital.  Referral related issues can be managed by contacting TRICARE at 844-866-9378 or the Referral Management Office at 760-383-5485. 

Starting the referral process

If a routine referral is necessary, your Primary Care Manager (PCM) will enter your referral request into MHS Genesis system. If you wish to see a particular provider or go to a specific facility or clinic, please ensure that your PCM includes this information in the referral.
 *All referrals for Active Duty Service Members must be reviewed and approved by the Health Center Commander before being forwarded for authorization.

Making a specialty appointment

You will not receive an authorization letter in the mail. You are only authorized to receive care from the network provider listed on your authorization letter. When booking your appointment with the specialist, please reconfirm that the provider is a TRICARE network provider. You will be billed for your care under the Point of Service Option if you choose to seek care outside of the network or without authorization.

Additional care provided by a specialist

If the network provider orders additional services, procedures, test or follow-up visits, and this care is not included in your authorization letter, the specialist must request authorization for the additional care directly through TRICARE. If these services are available here at WACH, then care will be re-directed to WACH. Please verify your authorization is active and has not expired prior to every appointment with the network provider. Retroactive referrals are not authorized by TRICARE.   

Managing Your Referral

Referrals on Fort Irwin

Wait 3 business days after your appointment here at Primary Care and then call the appropriate clinic below.

* Self-refer: Complete DA Form 8003 with supervisor’s signature

• Army Wellness Center: Bldg. 127 (“The Box Gym), schedule appointments at 760-380-7375. No referral needed.
• Dental: Call Shuttle-worth Clinic to schedule an appointment at 760-380-3166
• Behavioral Health: 3rd Floor Weed ACH , 760-383-5440
• General Surgery: Weed ACH, 760-383-5305 or 760-380-5377
• Immunizations: Weed ACH, 0800-1100 & 1300-1500 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Every 2nd & 4th Thursday 8:00-11:45.
• Internal Medicine: Weed ACH, schedule with Central Appointments 866-957-9224
• Flight Medicine: Weed ACH, 760-383-5207/5238 Fax 760-383-5127
• OB/GYN: Weed ACH, 760-383-5355
• Optometry: Weed ACH, schedule with Central Appointments 866-957-9224 or optometry line 760-383-5333
• Orthopedics & Physical Therapy: Weed ACH, 760-383-5370
• Primary Care: at Weed ACH, Blue & Gold Teams: 760-383-5200.
• Nutrition Care: Weed ACH, 760-383-5501
• Audiology: 760-383-5812
• SUDCC: (formerly known as ASAP) 760-380-4074

Referrals to another MTF Balboa Naval Medical Center/Camp Pendleton

Wait 3 business days after your appointment here at Primary Care.

• MTF will contact you to schedule an appointment.
• If they cannot see your consult after 5 business days, please contact referral management at 760-383-5483.
• If nothing happens, don’t just wait around! Ask for assistance from referral management by calling 760-383-5483.
• Balboa Referral desk: 619-532-8225          Camp Pendleton Referral desk: 760-719-3222

Referrals to a civilian clinic (Barstow, Apple Valley, Victorville and beyond)

• Referral requests can take 3-5 business days to be processed/approved/denied/redirected. Your referral will be available on https://www.tricare-west.com or you can contact TRICARE directly at 844-866-9378.
• You will need to register & create an account on https://www.tricare-west.com to access your network referrals or by calling TRICARE directly at 844-866-9378.
• You must schedule your own appointment with the Network Civilian Provider, they may or may not contact you. If nothing happens, don’t just wait around! Contact TRICARE directly at 844-866-9378 to see where you have been referred.
• If you would like to change the provider on your authorization you must contact TRICARE at 844-866-9378. The referral department at Weed Army Hospital does not generate your authorizations and does not have the authority or ability to change any information on your authorizations.
• If there is an issue with your referral please do not have your PCM put in a new referral. Please call referral management at 760-383-5483 to help resolve any issues.
• Please remind the off-post clinic to fax appointment notes to Weed Army Community Hospital Medical Records at 760-383-5142. This is a secure dedicated line for network providers.
• Prime Travel Reimbursement for Dependents (Retirees, Medal of Honor and other non-active duty beneficiaries).
• Choosing to travel outside the 100 miles catchment area, when services are available locally, will result in denial of travel reimbursement. Please see travel coordinator when referred over 100 miles for eligibility of travel benefit.
• Please contact the Travel Office located at Weed ACH in Managed Care, 760-383-5482 prior to going to your appointment.

Managing Your Enrollment

TRICARE Enrollment

• Be advised you can only enroll in or change enrollment to TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select after a Qualifying Life Event (QLE) or during the annual fall TRICARE Open Season.  A QLE opens a 90-day period for you to make eligible enrollment changes.  To find out if you qualify for a QLE, please visit https://tricare.mil/lifeevents.
• PCM assignments are determined by your residential location, Military Treatment Facility (MTF) guidelines, PCM availability and TRICARE access standards.
• To request enrollment to a Primary Care Manager within the Fort Irwin area, beneficiaries may call Health Net Federal Services at 844-866-9378 (please ensure you also update your residential address at this time if you are relocating to Fort Irwin), or present to the Managed Care Division within Weed Army Community Hospital.  Dependents may also utilize the TRICARE Beneficiary Web Enrollment (BWE) by visiting https://milconnect.dmdc.osd.mil/milconnect/ and selecting “Manage Health Benefits”.
• Newborn Enrollment: You must register your newborn in DEERS within 90 days of birth (stateside) to retain TRICARE coverage.  If you do not register your child in DEERS within 90 days, your child will no longer show as TRICARE eligible and claims for your child will begin to deny starting when the child is 91 days old (stateside).  Your child also may not automatically be enrolled in Prime, contact Health Net Federal Services, utilize the BWE or contact the Enrollments section of the Managed Care Division to ensure proper enrollment to the MTF.
• To find out more regarding TRICARE enrollment please visit https://tricare.mil/plans/enroll.  For additional information to better manage your TRICARE benefits, please take advantage of the many webinars offered by visiting https://tricare.mil/Resources/MediaCenter/TRICARE-Webinars.

Changing Your Primary Care Provider (PCM)

• To request a Primary Care Manager change within Weed Army Community Hospital beneficiaries must present to the Managed Care Division or call 760-383-5491 for assistance. 
• PCM changes cannot be processed online or by contacting Health Net Federal Services.
• Be advised PCM assignments are determined by PCM availability, therefore, not all requests are approved.
• Soldiers assigned to the Javier Villanueva Troop Medical Clinic (JVTMC) requesting a PCM change not based on UIC assignment must make their request through the Patient Advocate (760-383-5099).
• Are you unsure of who your Primary Care Manager is?  If so, visit https://myaccess.dmdc.osd.mil, DS logon required.  Once logged in select the MHS Genesis Patient Portal, under the menu on the left side, select “View Patient Information/PCM”.  Your PCM will be listed at the very bottom under “Medical Contacts”.  For any dependent children, select the drop-down menu at the top of the screen under “Patient Information” and choose another family member.  Their PCM will again be listed at the bottom of the screen.