How do I find a doctor that accepts TRICARE?

Find your TRICARE region first, then search that region’s contractor directory. The East Region is run by Humana Military and the West Region by TriWest Healthcare Alliance, and each publishes its own network and non-network directories. Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri and Wisconsin are divided by ZIP code, so check your ZIP rather than assuming your state.

Do I need a referral to see a doctor with TRICARE?

On TRICARE Prime you have an assigned primary care manager and generally need a referral for care they do not provide. On TRICARE Select you can see any TRICARE-authorized provider without a referral, though some services still need pre-authorization.

Doctors that accept TRICARE

The short answer

There is no one national directory of doctors who take TRICARE, and anyone who hands you one is guessing. TRICARE itself says so plainly: "TRICARE doesn't have one provider directory. Directories may differ based on your location, your plan, and type of provider."

So the useful question isn't "who takes TRICARE" — it's "who is in network for my region, for my plan." Answer those two and the search takes a minute.

Step 1: which region are you in?

The United States is split into TRICARE East and TRICARE West. Each is run by a different company that maintains its own network and its own directory. A doctor in network in the East Region is not automatically in network in the West, and six states changed region on January 1, 2025 — so if you moved, or if you last checked before then, verify rather than assume.

If you live in Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri or Wisconsin, your state is divided by ZIP code and no one can tell you your region from your state alone. Use TRICARE's ZIP lookup.

Step 2: which plan are you on? It changes what you're allowed to do

How seeing a doctor works on TRICARE Prime versus TRICARE Select
	TRICARE Prime	TRICARE Select
Who you see first	Your assigned primary care manager (PCM), often at a military hospital or clinic	Any TRICARE-authorized provider you choose
Referral to a specialist	Generally required for care your PCM doesn't provide	Not required
Going outside the rules	Point-of-service charges apply — these can be steep	You pay more out of network, but there's no point-of-service penalty
Best fit for	Lower out-of-pocket costs if you're near a military facility	Freedom to choose, at a higher cost share

Sources: tricare.mil find a doctor and its referrals and pre-authorization page, verified August 1, 2026. See plans explained for the full comparison.

Step 3: search the right directory

Find a doctor who takes TRICARE where you live

Which directory you search depends on your region. TRICARE splits the United States into East and West, each run by a different company, and the four states of Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri and Wisconsin are divided by ZIP code. Check your region by ZIP code if you're not sure.

TRICARE East directory Run by Humana Military · 800-444-5445
TRICARE West directory Run by TriWest Healthcare Alliance · 888-TRIWEST (888-874-9378)
Overseas directory Run by International SOS Government Services

Contractors and directory links verified against tricare.mil's provider directory list and its regional contractor page on August 1, 2026.

Network and non-network are different lists. Each contractor publishes both. A "TRICARE-authorized" provider is one TRICARE will pay something toward; a "network" provider has also agreed to contracted rates and to file your claims for you. On Select you may use either, but non-network usually means paying up front and filing the claim yourself. On Prime, going non-network without a referral triggers point-of-service costs.

Don't forget the military facilities

Before you search a civilian directory at all, check whether there's a military hospital or clinic near you. Care there generally costs you the least, and if you're on Prime it's likely where your primary care manager already is. We list all 303 U.S. facilities — find the closest to you or browse by state.

What to ask when you call the office

"Do you take TRICARE?" gets you a shrug more often than an answer, because front desk staff hear it constantly and the honest reply is complicated. Ask this instead:

"Are you in network with Humana Military (East) or TriWest (West)?" — name the contractor, not TRICARE.
"Are you a TRICARE-authorized provider?" — if they're not in network, this decides whether TRICARE pays anything at all.
"Do you file TRICARE claims, or do I pay up front?"
If you're on Prime: "Do you accept referrals from my primary care manager?"

Why we don't publish a list of doctors' names

Network participation is a contract between a practice and a regional contractor. Practices join and leave without public announcement, and the whole West Region changed contractors in 2025. Any name list on a page like this would be wrong within weeks, and you'd only find out in the waiting room. The contractor directories are queried live against the real contracts — that's why every page here sends you there by name instead of pretending to know.

Verified against tricare.mil and its full provider directory list on August 1, 2026.