Nurse Advice Line offers health care solutions to beneficiaries by phone

By Ms. Ashley Patoka (Northern Regional Medical Command)April 9, 2015

Did you know that if you are a TRICARE beneficiary who rece-ives care at Guthrie Ambulatory Health Care Clinic, you are eligible to use the TRICARE Nurse Advice Line?

The NAL, which is a no-cost service, consists of a team of registered nurses who are available to answer a variety of urgent health care questions.

They can help you decide whether self-care is the best option or if it is better to see a health care provider. There will always be a live person on the line to address beneficiary concerns.

The NAL is a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week service, which comes in useful, said Erin Fineberg, TRICARE beneficiary, when you or your child gets sick over the weekend.

"I have used the line twice in the last couple of months," Fineberg said. "Of course, whenever something happens, it is always over the weekend, so it is a really helpful tool that allows you to get the best possible information for the medical situation that you are having at that time."

The NAL offers a variety of solutions for TRICARE beneficiaries. For pediatric issues, the NAL will route the beneficiary to a pediatric nurse. If follow-up care is necessary or requested, the NAL will call the beneficiary back to check the child's status in a few hours. The NAL also has access to a provider 24 hours a day if the need arises for a higher level of triage.

The NAL also will make same-day appointments with the beneficiary's primary care manager, or PCM, for TRICARE Prime members who are enrolled to military treatment facilities.

If a same-day appointment is not available, the NAL will re-direct the beneficiary to the closet urgent care center.

"The last time I called the (Nurse Advice Line), it was about 11 o'clock in the morning," Fineberg said. "By 11:30, we were sitting in the urgent care waiting room, and by 12 we were out of there and headed to pick up a prescription. The service is really easy to use and has been very helpful for my Family."

According to Capt. Kimberlyn Truesdell, Fort Drum MEDDAC Clinic Operations Division chief, when a beneficiary calls the NAL, an "encounter" is created that is forwarded to their PCM. This allows the PCM to review the care the patient was recommended by the NAL and be prepared to provide follow-up care as needed.

"The NAL cannot offer assistance with prescription refills, medication replacement, lab or x-ray results," Truesdell said. "The NAL is a consultant service for our patients to improve the quality and the timeliness of their care. For routine issues, for medication refills or test results, call your PCM team during normal business hours at 772-2778."

With changes to the UCC policy that require beneficiaries to have prior authorization before being treated, the NAL offers the ability to speak to an RN about ongoing issues and to see if the symptoms require a UCC visit, an emergency room visit, or if home health care options can be used until the patient receives an appointment time from the NAL to see their PCM.

"I have found the (Nurse Advice Line) to be very helpful," Fineberg said. "When you are talking to that nurse, it's a person who is prepared: they have the education, they have the right questions to ask and they are just trying to make sure you get the care you need at that time. I would definitely recommend this to other beneficiaries."

The NAL is just another choice for beneficiaries to access the care they want and need in a timely manner.

To access the NAL, call 1-800-TRICARE (874-2273) and choose option 1. The NAL also can be accessed using the Guthrie Ambulatory Health Care Clinic appointment line at 772-2778 or (888) 838-1303.