Chiari Specialist in Tricare Network

Question

Does anyone know of Chiari Specialist in the Tricare Network  or that is considered a network provider I have been told by tricare that since I pay to have prime I have to see somone within the network. I will have to pay travel expenses and co pays and that is fine I live on the MS gulf coast but I will go where ever maybe if we list our specialist by not only where they are but also what insurances they accept that would be of great help. Since most of us end up having to travel anyway?

ThePeachy1 · Answer

as always you guys are full of great answers and ideas. Roy thanks for your insight as an NCO, good luck and continued success with the VA and your chiari. My DH is the retired member and we pay for the prime, my husband has no problems and the military considers me 100% healthy with no disabilities my only rx from them is vitamins iron and synthroid.( even though they are the ones with the MRI reports and stuff) I have actually considered stopping paying for prime dropping to standard and paying the costs, but I am thinking the travel and costs for brain surgery would be expensive, I am still trying to make the system do what right, and maybe that's my problem. But while I am still healthy enough I would like to fight that fight and possibly it will enlighten maybe one person and make a door easier to open for someone behind me one day with the military these people end up everywhere, so who knows if they will see a child in another state or country and maybe if I make a big enough impression they will remember it, and it will help someone else down the line. I have requested a Military Case worker, we shall see if that is of any assistance with this battle.  Angie, excellent idea,, and kudos for you guys. I am so pleased you daughter received the help she needed.  On a side note please call you pcm and request a case  manager who can help you fight for approval for those follow ups from tricare. I had a similar situation once non related with my son and it worked.  I will keep all of you posted but I really strongly believe as Shane said in another post,  we need to promote awareness of this.  We have to, I live in a southern tourist area, but if I can get to that military teaching hospital and get a few of those people and they take it with them, that would be a good thing. As always you guys are awesome !

Roy902 · Answer

I am a retired army NCO, I looked around for a while and was really tired of seeing so many doctors come and go as family docs.  We had a very fine doctor and he went to Korea, I also had a excellent doc that did my rotor culp surgery twice, it was not his fault for the second one as I slipt and fell on the ice and tore it up agian a month or so after the 1st  surgery.

Other than that the docs were not so good.  Most were very very poor and it was very frustrating for my family.  

What I did was go to tri care standard, pay the extra co - pays.  Knowing that I no longer as a adulat have to seek the HUG from Uncle Sugar anymore.  I no longer have to say may I go to a REAL DOCTOR now?  

Tri Care STANDARD and you will never have to look back, get the treatment and pay a little more perhaps.  But you get what you pay for and not near the stress of finding a good doctor.  I am curious what the disabiltiy rating is of the person who retired from the military.  Depending of the rating, and if the agreements are there perhaps that doctor works at the VA part time say one day a week.  I have found this to work to my advantage, it was there that my Chairi malformation was diagnosed --  if surgery is ever needed it can be done at the VA - my disability rating is high enough that my cost will be very minimal at best...    

I wish you the best of luck 

Roy

angie343 · Answer

Hey there peachy how are you? We have Tricare Prime as well and I know what your going thru. I dislike that imsurnce sometimes but when it comes to us military paying it works best for our pocket, kind of taking the good with the bad. In our case since we did not know what my daughters diagnoises was, after all those Tricare prime N & NS kept tellings us that it was all in her head and one told us it was a bulging disk/ herniated disc. We kept following their treatment advice for that. One day while in New York her legs just gave out on her and she collasped at her PCM office and they had to rush her into emergency (u know tricare has to cover ER visit) there is were a NS told us about her tethered cord and had the surgery for that. Thank god he was there and he knew a Chiari specialist. Now because it was in the hospital that is under their in network we were covered and for her decompression surgery she had it done at a in network hospital to. In the north region tricare is called health net. They billed under the hospital, I'm pretty sure that we will have some out of pocket because we are retired but that is how we got tricare involved. Her folow up after she leaves the hospital is something that we will have to figure out with the NS because he is not in network. The North Shore University Hospital which is the hospital that the TCI NS use for the surgeries takes the insurance. I say wait till your symtoms get bad bad and go thru ER. Good luck and god bless.

Shane99 · Answer

I really don't know much about insurance. Check with Dr Hampf though. I know he accepts most insurance. And if you come up here, I promise to come out to the hospital and visit!

We Chiarian's have to stick together! :)