TriWest Now Administering PC3 and Veterans Choice Program in State of Wyoming
Phoenix, Arizona (December 19, 2018) – In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), TriWest Healthcare Alliance this week begins administering community care – the Patient-Centered Community Care (PC3) and Veterans Choice Program (Choice) – for Veterans in the state of Wyoming. The continuation of these programs, previously administered for VA by another contractor, Health Net Federal Services, will allow Veterans to continue receiving health care in the community when VA is unable to care for them at its facilities. For five years, TriWest has administered community care in all or parts of 28 states, as well as American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas, and now will be expanding services into the remaining states and territories to cover the entire country until the next generation of VA’s contracts – Community Care Network (CCN) – are awarded and implemented. Wyoming is the fourth state where TriWest will expand, with the rest of the country rolling out by the end of January 2019
Under this public-private partnership, TriWest Healthcare Alliance is developing “One Network” to support Veteran care in the community. TriWest is excited about being back in the state of Wyoming, which the company knows well from its prior work at the side of the Department of Defense, where TriWest administered the TRICARE program for active duty military and their families for nearly 20 years. TriWest is grateful to all of the providers who are once again leaning forward to serve Veterans; we will be honoring their service by processing and paying their claims quickly. All providers in the “One Network” will meet or exceed quality standards and can expect their health care claims to be processed and paid within 10 days.
In the state of Wyoming there are currently 25,914 unique Veterans enrolled for VA care, and the state’s health care provider network includes 1,551 community providers. TriWest is working alongside VA to ensure the right providers are available to help meet the special needs of Veterans when VA is unable to provide that care within its own four walls. In addition to providing One Network, as well as processing and paying providers’ health care claims in the state of Wyoming – TriWest will schedule Veteran appointments with community providers in Cheyenne while VA will schedule Veteran appointments with community providers in Sheridan.
The purpose of the PC3 program is to enhance access to health care services for Veterans by making a quality provider network available closer to a Veteran's home. Access to care through the PC3 program is available to eligible Veterans following a referral from a VA medical center. The Choice Program addresses the needs of Veterans who face wait times longer than 30 days for a specific service from a VA medical center, or when a VA medical facility is not easily accessible (greater than 40 miles) from the Veteran’s home.
“We are humbled to scale the cliff alongside VA in support of our nation’s heroes so that Veterans will no longer experience a gap in access to care,” said David J. McIntyre, Jr., President and CEO of TriWest Healthcare Alliance. “Having now successfully stood up the states of Colorado, Montana and Utah from VISN 19, starting on December 7, we now expand our services in the state of Wyoming. We stand by VA’s commitment to provide access to community care when it is unable to provide care timely or conveniently. We are grateful to the community providers who will be accessible to help meet the healthcare needs of Veterans across this state in support of VA’s critical mission.”
For further details on the expansion, please read our Oct. 2, 2018, press release here.