MacDill AFB, FL

The 6th Medical Group supports combat capability of the 6th Air Mobility Wing, USCENTCOM, USSOCOM, and over 50 tenant units by providing administrative, logistical and ancillary medical support serving 106,000 beneficiaries in DoD's largest single catchments area.

Through four squadrons, the medical group offers a variety of Primary Care services to its beneficiary population including: ambulatory surgery, acute care, family practice, pediatrics, mental health, optometry, immunizations, flight medicine, gynecology, and dental services. The clinic hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 4:30pm. The 6th Medical Group (including the pharmacy) closes for training on the third Wednesday of every month at 11am.

For appointments, call:
*Central Appointments - 813-828-2273
*Dental Appointments - 813-827-9401
*Online Appointments - TRICARE Online at www.tricareonline.com


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EMERGENCY SERVICES
There are no on-base emergency medical services available. In the event of an emergency, call 911 or proceed to the nearest emergency room. For non-emergency or urgent care, contact one of the listed Urgent Care facilities.

Notify the SOCOM Clinic during normal duty hours after a visit to an emergency room or an urgent care center. The appropriate referral will be submitted to TRICARE. The following information is required for the referral: name, SSN, location, date of service, and diagnosis. This will also allow them the opportunity to obtain reports from your visit. Any ambulance transportation will require a "retro-referral" to TRICARE; you will need the name of the ambulance company in order to complete the referral.


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URGENT CARE CENTERS (UCC)
In an urgent situation, contact your PCM's office for a same day appointment or advice on how to handle the immediate situation. You may also contact the regional contactor's toll free number for instructions on how and where to access urgent care. There are special rules on certain types of care.

Urgent Care Centers do not require an authorization PRIOR to the visit. Try to use a network UCC versus an Emergency Room (ER), if possible. If a Network UCC is closed or out of a reasonable driving area, then proceed to a non-network UCC. Call your provider within 24 hours for a retro-referral.


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PHARMACIES AND PRESCRIPTIONS
813-828-5367
The 6th Medical Group has multiple locations and options for providing pharmaceutical care to our valued beneficiaries; the Brandon Clinic Pharmacy, the BX-Refill Pick-up Center, the Hospital Pharmacy, and the PharmaCARE Center.

BRANDON CLINIC PHARMACY
Provides initial prescription service to eligible beneficiaries seen at the Brandon Clinic.

BX-REFILL PICK-UP CENTER
Central point for picking up all phoned in refill requests and any new prescriptions not claimed on the day it was left at PharmaCARE Center.

HOSPITAL PHARMACY
The outpatient unit provides initial fill service to Active Duty and those patients seen by a provider in the hospital.

PHARMACARE CENTER
Provides outpatient pharmaceutical care to all beneficiary categories.

Phoning in your refill requests has been mandatory since October 1999. In an emergency, walk-up refills can be accomplished, but there will be a wait as our priority is to process NEW prescriptions during the day. The pharmacy has a dedicated night shift to process the over 2,000 refills daily. Phoning in your refill requests means we can process your new prescriptions faster.

ALL prescriptions (controlled substances and legend substances) MUST contain the provider's drug enforcement agency (DEA) number, state license number or social security number to dispense a prescription at MacDill Air Force Base. This requirement is because of a DoD (Department of Defense) Health care computer system taht will be implemented at ALL military treatment facilities.

PRESCRIPTION TRANSFERS
The Pharmacy will transfer prescriptions for all medications (controlled and non-controlled substances) off base to any pharmacy (DoD or civilian) upon request from that pharmacy.

For all beneficiary categories, MacDill Air Force Base will transfer all prescription(s) (controlled and non-controlled) from a DoD facility only to their facility upon verification from the original pharmacy. Transfers into MacDill will be done during normal duty hours and require three working days to complete. An emergency supply can be given so the patient will not miss any doses. All transfers into MacDill must be from the original pharmacy. All locations where a pharmacist is located will do transfers.


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TRICARE
TRICARE is the health care program for active duty and retirees of the uniformed services, their families and survivors. TRICARE's primary objectives are to optimize the delivery of health care services in the military's direct care system for all Military Health System (MHS) beneficiaries and attain the highest level of patient satisfaction through the delivery of a world-class health care benefit.

TRICARE brings together the health care resources of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard and supplements them with networks of civilian health care professionals to provide access to high quality health care services while maintaining the capability to support military operations.

Health Net is committed to preserving the integrity, flexibility, and durability of the MHS by offering beneficiaries access to the finest health care services available, thereby contributing to the continued superiority of U.S. combat readiness.

We encourage you to contact your local Military Treatment Facility (MTF) before you seek services.

If you have questions about the TRICARE program or need assistance, you may visit your local TRICARE Service Center (TSC). TSCs are staffed with representatives who can help you with your health care needs and answer questions about the TRICARE program.

EMERGENCY CARE
All TRICARE beneficiaries, in the event of a life-, limb-, or eyesight-threatening emergency, should call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department for care. If enrolled in TRICARE Prime, in all emergency situations, you must notify your Primary Care Manager (PCM) or regional contractor within 24 hours of any emergency admission so that ongoing care and claims processing can be coordinated.

To find out if a particular service or procedure is covered by TRICARE and for more information on emergency and urgent care, visit Health Net's Website at www.healthnetfederalservices.com.

TRICARE ONLINE
www.tricareonline.com
TRICARE Online is a DoD Internet portal to interactive health care services and information accessible by all TRICARE beneficiaries. Each MTF has its own page on TRICARE Online and most MTF providers maintain an individual "Provider" page on the MTF site. Providers are encouraged to include a picture and specific clinical information about themselves on the page. Many have provided educational links from their page to health care information that they want to share with their patients.

TRICARE PROVIDER WEB SITE
www.tricare.osd.mil/provider
The TRICARE Provider Web site provides national TRICARE information, including links to TRICARE regulatory guidance, policies and procedures; TRICARE program options and features; and the latest news and events. It is the main resource for information about TRICARE.