TRICARE’s Near Patient Program: What to Know

Getting healthcare overseas doesn’t have to be difficult, as TRICARE officials noted that they offer a program to help.¹

For patients with TRICARE Prime Overseas or TRICARE Prime Remote Overseas, the Near Patient Program (NPP) aims to facilitate healthcare in 10 overseas locations. The program uses teams of in-country medical professionals who speak the local language to help patients understand and navigate their local healthcare system.

Available in the following overseas locations, Bahrain, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Poland, Romania, South Korea, and Spain, the local Near Patient Team (NPT) includes nurses and doctors who can:

• Visit or call patients in the hospital
• Speak with providers to get updates
• Share these updates with military providers
• Help overcome cultural and language barriers
• Answer any medical questions
• Help with any concerns about the care they’re receiving

Services Offered

The NPP offers helpful services to help facilitate healthcare. These include:

1. Local knowledge: Teams explain how healthcare works in that country.
2. Language help: The program helps you understand local medical norms and cultural differences.
3. Medical answers: Teams answer questions about care.
4. Hospital care: Teams monitor hospital stays and work with local doctors.
5. Recordkeeping: Staff work with local doctors to collect medical records.

The NPP provides hands-on help in many ways. A Near Patient Nurse may visit in the hospital to check on your care and address any concerns you have.

These teams also keep your primary care manager informed about their treatment. The program aims to ensure a smooth transition between local civilian providers and military hospitals and clinics.

To access NPP assistance and expertise in designated NPP locations, patients should download and register on the MyCare Overseas™ beneficiary app and portal to get in contact with an NPT.

The app allows patients to chat directly with their NPT daily, 8 am to 8 pm local time. To initiate a chat, click on “24/7 Assistance” and then “Chat Now” in the “My Local Care Team” section.

For those not in one of the designated NPP locations, the TRICARE Overseas Program Regional Call Center can provide 24/7 support, as described in the TRICARE Overseas Program Handbook. To find country-specific phone numbers, check out the TRICARE Overseas contractor website.

Reference

1. TRICARE Communications. TRICARE’s Near Patient Program: what to know [press release]. April 15, 2025. Accessed April 23, 2025. https://newsroom.tricare.mil/News/TRICARE-News/Article/4155516/tricares-near-patient-program-what-to-know