United Healthcare Military & Veterans join Team McConnell Published April 3, 2013 By Col. Charles Carlton 22nd Medical Group commander MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- The men and women of the 22nd Medical Group would like to introduce and welcome Team McConnell to the newest member of our team, United Healthcare Military & Veterans Group. Effective April 1, 2013, TRICARE Health benefits will be administered by United Healthcare Military & Veterans. As the new regional contractor for the West Region of the United States, UHCM&V will take over as the managed care support contractor and serve our military members, retirees and their families with medical care support for off-base medical referrals and related services. Some important things to know about the change: If you are currently assigned to a civilian primary care manager, you may have to change your primary care manager when the new contract begins. If a provider change is needed, United Healthcare and the 22nd MDG will work with beneficiaries to find the right provider to ensure continuity of their health care. United Healthcare and the 22nd MDG share TRICARE's commitment to provide superior service and health care to our beneficiaries. If you have not done so and this applies to you, please ensure to change your payments to United Healthcare. Quarterly TRICARE payments made in-person at the TRICARE Service Center can be made by debit or credit card only. No checks or money orders will be accepted. All obstetrics referrals and authorizations that were issued through March 31, will be processed for the full term of the pregnancy and postpartum care (312 days) to ensure that all related pregnancy care needs are met. Pregnant women can continue to see their current TRICARE-authorized physicians without resubmission of authorizations. As part of the transition, referrals written prior to April 1, will expire on May 31. You will receive communication from United Healthcare if you need a new referral or authorization. To prevent delays in receiving care, please call your Primary Care Manager team at (316)759-6300 to receive a new referral if you require one past May 31. United Healthcare will provide new offerings under your TRICARE benefit to improve your access to quality providers with greater availability of appointments. These enhancements can be found at: www.uhcmilitarywest.com/documents/UnitedHealthcare_Welcome_Package_2012_FINAL.pdf Bottom-line, your TRICARE health care coverage is one of your most important benefits and a lot of preparation has taken place over the past year to ensure this transition is seamless to our beneficiaries. The men and women of the 22nd MDG, United Healthcare and TRICARE are committed to providing the best possible patient-centered health care for our military members, retirees and their families. TRICARE and UHCM&V Patient Care mailers, plus new TRICARE cards, have been sentto all beneficiaries. Please be on the lookout for these in your mail. Visit the following websites for more information: TRICARE: www.tricare.mil/Welcome/MediaCenter/CurrentTopics/WestTransition.aspx TriWest: www.triwest.com/en/about-triwest/transition-update-center/ UHCM&V: www.uhcmilitarywest.com/ 22d MDG Facebook: www.facebook.com/22MDG For more information or questions, call your beneficiary counselor at 759-5097.