MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Overseas? Far from home? The Health Care Information Line can help.
The HCIL, a TRICARE benefit, is now available 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week for active-duty service members and their families who need health care advice.
"The HCIL is a free service provided by TRICARE Pacific for all Military Health System beneficiaries," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Michelle Lukeheart, Branch Medical Clinic Family Practice Division officer. "Anyone can call, anytime, day or night, seven days-a-week."
TRICARE beneficiaries should be patient the first time they call the HCIL. The caller will have to push a few numbers on their phone to get through and get registered.
"You have to go through an automated recording when you first call to get to your Primary Care Manager," said Navy Lt. Timothy Meyer, Branch Medical Clinic Preventive Medicine officer-in-charge. "The whole process takes about two minutes and then you will be talking to a nurse."
When calling the HCIL, beneficiaries should have their Social Security Number ready and the type of TRICARE medical coverage they have. Then a nurse will listen to the symptoms presented and give advice on what else callers should do, including helping them decide when to see a health care provider.
The HCIL helps callers determine if they have a condition requiring urgent care and if necessary they can follow-up by sending a consult form to the nearest military treatment facility.
"By using the HCIL one can get tips on how to stay healthy," said Lukeheart. "You can also learn how to take care of a health problem at home. If someone in the family is sick or injured, the HCIL nurse can help decide how serious the symptoms are, answer your questions, and suggest self-care measures. The nurse will also play a role in helping you to decide whether to go to the Urgent Care Clinic, call the clinic, or make an appointment with your Primary Care Manager."
According to Meyer, the HCIL also provides a helpful service for people who just want access to an information resource.
"If you don't necessarily want to talk to a nurse, but just want information, the HCIL has an audio library of over 500 health topics where the caller can listen to symptoms and remedies of certain known illnesses," said Meyer.
The HCIL is another tool to keep military beneficiaries healthy and ready. In mainland Japan the number for the HCIL is 005-111-4621. For more information on this service, call Lukehart at 253-4038.