Urgent Care

Urgent care is care for a nonemergency illness or injury. Examples include things like a high fever or sprained ankle.

You typically need urgent care to treat a condition that:

  • Doesn’t threaten life, limb or eyesight
  • Needs attention before it becomes a serious risk to health

Do you need immediate attention? Call 911 or your international emergency number. Or, go to an emergency roomThe hospital department that provides emergency services to patients who need immediate medical attention..

Not sure if you need urgent care? Check with the Military Health System Nurse Advice Line. You may be able to get virtual urgent care through the MHS Nurse Advice Line. (You can’t use the MHS Nurse Advice Line if you’re enrolled in the US Family Health Plan or the TRICARE Prime Demo.)

Learn How To Find an Urgent Care Center

How do I get urgent care if I live in the U.S.?

Your rules for getting urgent care are based on your TRICARE plan. These rules apply to in-person and virtual urgent care.

Your Plan Your Coverage
TRICARE Prime
TRICARE Prime Remote
TRICARE Young Adult-Prime		  If you’re an active duty service member enrolled in:
  • TRICARE Prime — You must get urgent care at a military hospital or clinic or get a referral for urgent care from the MHS Nurse Advice Line.
  • TRICARE Prime Remote — You can get urgent care from any TRICARE-authorized urgent care center or network provider. You don’t need a referral.

All others: You can get urgent care from any TRICARE-authorized urgent care center or network provider without a referral. If you get urgent care from a non-network provider outside of a TRICARE-authorized urgent care center, you’ll pay point-of-service fees.

TRICARE Select
TRICARE Reserve Select
TRICARE Retired Reserve
TRICARE Young Adult-Select 

You can get urgent care from any TRICARE-authorized urgent care center or provider.

Network providers will file the claim for you. You don’t have to pay up front, and you’ll pay less out of pocket.

Non-network providers might not file the claim for you. Be ready to pay up front and file a claim for reimbursement.
TRICARE For Life You may get urgent care from any Medicare-certified provider.
US Family Health Plan Visit your USFHP designated provider’s website to learn how to get urgent care.
TRICARE Prime Demo Visit TRICARE Prime Demo by CareSource Military & Veterans to learn about your options for getting urgent care. 

How do I get urgent care if I live overseas?

Your rules for getting urgent care are based on your TRICARE plan. These rules apply to in-person and virtual urgent care. Learn more about virtual health visits overseas.

Your Plan Your Coverage

TRICARE Prime Overseas
TRICARE Prime Remote Overseas

You can get urgent care from:

  • Any military hospital or clinic, when and where available
  • Any overseas civilian provider. Before you get urgent care, call International SOS to get an authorization. This will make your urgent care visit cashless and claimless. Without an authorization, you may have to pay up front and file a claim for reimbursement.  

TRICARE Select Overseas
TRICARE Reserve Select
TRICARE Retired Reserve
TRICARE Young Adult-Select
TRICARE For Life 

In general, you can get urgent care from any provider.

In the Philippines, you must see a Philippines certified provider. 

Can I get virtual urgent care?

It depends. Your options for getting virtual urgent care may depend on:

  • Who you are
  • Where you are
  • Your TRICARE plan
  • Your age

Learn more about getting virtual health services.

Virtual Urgent Care Through the MHS Nurse Advice Line

You can get virtual urgent care from the MHS Nurse Advice Line if: 

  • You’re enrolled in TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Young Adult-Prime, 
  • Your primary care manager is at a military hospital or clinic, and
  • You’re 12 years old or older.

Call the MHS Nurse Advice Line at 800-TRICARE (874-2273), option 1, or visit the MHS Nurse Advice Line to find out if your concern can be handled virtually. If so, the nurse will schedule a virtual urgent care appointment for the same day or following day. Your appointment will be with the Virtually Integrated Patient Readiness and Remote care clinic. The provider will document your visit, diagnosis, and treatment in MHS GENESIS.

How do I get urgent care when traveling?

Go to Getting Care While Traveling and choose your health plan to learn more.

Disclaimer:

This list of covered services is not all inclusive. TRICARE covers services that are medically necessaryTo be medically necessary means it is appropriate, reasonable, and adequate for your condition. and considered proven. There are special rules or limits on certain services, and some services are excluded.

Call Ahead for Urgent Care Walk-in Availability
If the Nurse Advice Line refers you to a urgent care clinic, check with the clinic ahead of time to ensure they have walk-ins available. 

Last Updated 1/30/2026