A federal watchdog has determined that most of the mental health provider listings in Tricare network directories are inaccurate or outdated, a problem that could prevent military service members and families from getting vital behavioral health care.
The Government Accountability Office estimated that 85% of listings in the Tricare East Region and 79% in the Tricare West Region had troubles with location, gender of the provider, specialty or subspecialty descriptions, or phone and fax numbers.
Such details are necessary for Tricare beneficiaries to find in-network psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists, according to the report released Monday.
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“Network provider directories are helpful tools that health plan beneficiaries can use to search for providers available to them in their network, by location, and by provider specialty — including behavioral health providers,” noted the report. “Directory inaccuracies are likely to impair beneficiaries’ search for behavioral health care from providers that accept Tricare.”
Demand for mental health services has risen dramatically within the military health system and the Tricare health program, with mental health diagnoses quadrupling among service members and increasing six-fold among their children in the past two decades.
Combat exposure, long work hours, deployments,…
