It seems like when I call the appointment line for my husband or child, I am always able to get them a same day appointment. I have called yesterday and I was unable to get an appointment for myself. Last night I went to the ER on post and they turned me away telling me my ear infection I have had since Sunday is not an emergency and I should call and make an appointment tomorrow. Sure. I was once again up all night, unable to sleep, with excruciating pain. So I called again at 730 when it opens. Guess what? No appointments and I should call back tomorrow. Seriously? I am flying out of state on Saturday for something special I cannot miss and I really don't want to be flying with an ear infection! I've had other problems scheduling appointments for myself as well. I haven't seen a Dr. since I had my son more than a year ago. I just suffer though everything or listen to my husband plead with me to make an appointment, but when I call I can never get an appointment. I have had a particular problem since December and I still haven't been able to make an appointment because they don't see it necessary and tell me to wait until September for my annual and discuss it with the Dr. then. Meanwhile, I am embarassed as all hell and hate going out in public. What am I doing wrong? Or is there a secret system I don't know about? Does anybody else have these frusterating problems? 

Brianna - go to Tricare Online and sign up to make appointments online. I have never had a problem getting appointments for myself or my kids & I NEVER have to call the appt line! Good luck. Hope you are feeling better soon! 

Oh yeah! I even tried to get a doctor off post and while sitting in the TriCare office, the lady called all of the JC doctors listed and not one will take TriCare...including that Konza clinic! I did a very lengthy ICE complaint about not getting access to the new doctor that I was assigned to and I received a phone call the same day and had an appointment scheduled the same day. I cannot believe that the ER turned you away! That is the first time I have heard that happening...ususally it's the other way around, everyone walks out on them due to their normal 2-3 hour wait times! Hope you get better - ICE the sh!t outa them and put that you want a call back...you'll get it! 

If I were you, I would go to Mercy's ER. I have had the same issues here and always been able to get in and get out. It's worth the few minutes to drive there. If not, they do sell numbing ear drops over the counter that you can try until you get an appt here. Feel better! 

Sorry but ER's cannot turn you away! Its illegal. They have to treat you no matter how "little" they think it is. I worked in one and trust me there was times Id have loved to turn patients away when it came to stuff that wasnt an emergency. Expecially since we have to check people in at Triage in order then we can take them back in any order we feel is right ( most critical patient first etc) We had a guy DIE because stupid people were coming in with a cough or a cold or crap like that that wasnt an emergency and we didnt triage him fast enough. Mind you he never said he was having chest pains either but still. Im the biggest advocate in the world about not going to the ER unless its an emergency but here that does not apply. You cant get a doctors appointment to save your life since they switched to the med houses. And the ER here is biggest jokes Ive ever seen.Half the docs dont have a freaking clue what they are doing or talking about and most of the nurses have a bedside manner of an ogre. I hope you get seen soon. I would put in an Ice complaint now and maybe you will get in that way. Good luck and sorry you dont feel good. 

I will NEVER go to the er on post again. We have been so many times and misdiagnosed many times. We got o the one in JC. They are very nice (especially with kids) and I have NEVER had a problem with them. 

I agree.

My son had an asthma attack. We couldnt get it under control at home so I took him in. We had a pulse ox of 85 when we went in. Doc came in had no idea what meds he could use on a pediatric patient... gave him one treatment then said he was fine. I had to pitch a fit to get another pulse ox reading done. It was 88. I was told it was going up so they were sending him home. 88 is not a pulse ox you send a child with asthma home at. So I lefft and took him to Mercy in Manhattan where we were there almost 12 hours and he was almost admitted. If I didnt know better they could have killed my child. That was the second time they had no clue what they were talking about. We wont even get into the first time I had to go to the ER. I wont go on post unless I have no choice. 

I had to get an appt for my husband the other day... they did not have any on post..( no big surprise there) but were able to get him in at a place in Manhattan... Try Alpha care at the hospital in JC this afternoon.. they open at 3:30 I think... They told me that when I made my husbands appt that because of the nature of his appt I could not go there or Kstat... which leads me to believe they take Tri-Care. Might want to check tho... 

Oh yeah! I even tried to get a doctor off post and while sitting in the TriCare office, the lady called all of the JC doctors listed and not one will take TriCare...including that Konza clinic
Actually we do take tricare, we do same day appt. and a lot of them come from the appt line, not sure who told you that. 

@Tammy - I called myself and was told that they are not taking any TriCare patients. The lady in the TriCare office thought I had been given some false info, so she called and talked to two different people and was assured that, as of that day about two weeks ago, they are not taking any new TriCare patients. 

We are talking about Konza Prairie MEDICAL right, I know for a fact they take it...... Dental doesn't unless you are active duty but medical does. 

There is a difference between same day appts (colds flu and so forth) then a routine appt./.. If you have been seen else where (er ect) we can't see you on the same day. 

I was told it was the Konza Clinic in JC. They had some doctors listed on the TriWest website so we called there and asked if they are taking new patients. They told us yes but when we asked if they take TriCare they said no, they were not taking any more TriCare patients at that time. 

I think that one of the doctors was a man named Coup (don't know if that is right or not). Anyhow, that is what Debbie at the TriCare office on post was told as well. 

Correct Dr Coup is NOT taking new pts. He is leaving soon. I just wish I knew who was saying this. Its not true 

I do to as we wanted to find a family doctor off post where we could all be together. As you can tell, getting health care on post is not something that happens very often! I want to be assigned an actual MD and not a PA or NP - my preference only. Not easy in this area! 

wow I am sorry that everyone has had a bad expierence on post. But I know I never have and was always able to get a same day appt. and was never steered wrong in the ER with my son 

@militarybrat - so did we, for the 1 and 1/2 years that we have been here. The kids and I were all assigned to Dr. Gooch and when we needed to get in, it only took a few days unless it was considered urgent and then they did same day appointments. Since they completely changed the system around a month ago, I couldn't even get an appt to see my doctor so that I could get a referral for a routine mammogram! I called and they said that she was booked full for at least 8 days and to call back next week, which I did for 3 weeks before doing a very indepth ICE complaint. I received a call the same day and had a referral put in over the phone for the mammo. They also booked an appointment for me to see the doc two weeks out so that the mammo results can be given to me:) Sad stuff! 

Have you tried calling the clinic itself. I know I had done that before because the appt line can only see so much of their calendar and the clinic can see all. and They were nice about it and understanding and I had an appt. I have also made appts on tricareonline too and was very successful 

Nope, just called the appt line and tried the online system, but I was told that they were just overloaded. The lady that called me in response to my ICE complaint said the same thing. It's a new system and will take time. It wouldn't be so bad if we could have found a doctor in JC that we could get established with. 

So I called Tricare and told them the situation and they were able to get me a referral to K-Stat. I went right when they opened. I was right on with my diagnosis and finally I have some antibiotics so I can try and get better. Yeah, I saw a PA, not thrilled about it, but I pretty much told her what to write me a prescription for. She seemed pretty dull and Tricare can pay for the 3 minutes I spent with her! Maybe if more people started outsourcing to Providers in the community they would either hire more people to create more appointments or make their system more efficient. 

They recently switched my daughter, my husband, and my primary care provider and since then we cannot get an appt! My daughter turned 18 months on July 24th and I wasn't able to get her 18 month check up until Aug 2nd when before I could get it within a day or two of the date. I would like to know why they would switch us to someone who's load is already too big? Can I call and switch our PCP? 

@Blondie - we went to the TriCare office on post and told them I wanted a doctor as in MD not PA and I was switched to Dr. Tarar. My kids had been assigned to Ms. Matzke and I had them switched to Dr. Tarar as well so that we could be together. Hubbs is with someone different but at least the kids and I are together.....however, she has no appointments available for at least 8 days so it really didn't matter anyhow! We are searching for a doctor in Manhattan now since we couldn't find any in JC. 

Not to mention when I call to make these appts I have to take the one available that they have or I'll have to wait way longer. I think it's crazy. 

Wow! I have yet to need to make an appt. for myself. Getting appts for my son haven't been an issues yet, though I was very unhappy to find out they don't do 15 mo. well baby appts. on post. Since we moved at my son's 1 year, he didn't get some of his shots until late. Now, they won't give us his next well-baby until he is able to get the shots at 20 months!! I don't like the idea of my son not going to the Dr. at all between 1 and 2 years old! That's crap!
As for the ER on post. I had him there the other night and they were fabulous! I have never been in and out so quickly! Granted I was in there with a 14 month old who was having trouble breathing! It ended up being double ear infections and the onset of pneumonia, so it was something 'real.' But they weren't even that busy when we got there! And I am comparing the experience to our ER visit in WA, when he had a seizure at 10 months! We waited a good hour at least there! (Yet, another reason I was glad to leave Ft. Lewis! lol) 

"I was switched to Dr. Tarar"

Just from experience ... she is the worst doctor I have ever encountered. I took my daughter in to see her ... she was having chest pains (she had previously been on heart lung bypass) and she told her to drink more water. She didnt even listen to her heart. I ended up taking her to ER when she collapsed that same night.

Know everyone has different experiences with different doctors ... just wanted you to be aware of mine with that particular Dr. 

Veronica~They don't do 15 month check ups they do 18 month check ups. That's what I have my daughter scheduled for. 

Thanks Alice - still trying to find someone off post. I am laughing at myself cause I posted that I did an ICE complaint and got my referral and appt - well, as of today, there still is not a referral in for the mammo! Joke was sure on me! The access to health care here is absolutely pathetic. 

Blondie- yeah, I was told that, but then they added 'but since he's a couple months behind on his shots and he can't have the next round until a certain amount of time after the last round, you might as well not bring him in until he can have them!' Um hello- that's when he is 20 months old!! So, he will be going from 12 months to 20 months without a check-up! 

I will tell you this: when it comes to Tricare, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. I would have fake-cried and screamed like a madwoman about how much pain I was in before they turned me away.

When we were stationed in California I had terrible times getting appointments. I got so frustrated I ended up calling Tricare directly. After speaking with a rep and telling her I'd been trying to get an appointment for two weeks, she tried to blow me off, too. I told her I would take it to MEDCOM, Office of the Surgeon General, the Post Commander, my Congressman, Oprah, 20/20, WHOMEVER, if I didn't get seen by the next day. Magically, an appointment "popped up" right after that.

It really is unfortunate that you got turned away. I wasn't even aware they could do that. ER experiences are always frustrating...

Oh, and don't get me started on what they did to my husband at the Pharmacy last week. You wouldn't believe it.