Most military families in this part of South Florida have run into the same question at the door of an urgent care: what happens to my TRICARE benefit if the clinic is outside the network? For urgent care specifically, TRICARE East has answered that question in writing.
Humana Military, the administrator for TRICARE East, states it plainly:
“TRICARE Prime beneficiaries will not incur point-of-service deductibles and cost shares if the urgent care center or convenience clinic is TRICARE-authorized and either network or non-network.”
TrufaMED Urgent Care & Concierge Medicine in Surfside is a TRICARE-authorized urgent care center. We file the claim directly with TRICARE East on your behalf.
What “TRICARE-authorized” means, and why it matters more than “network”
TRICARE uses two separate ideas that get confused constantly.
Authorized means the clinic meets TRICARE’s licensing and certification standards and is permitted to treat TRICARE beneficiaries and bill TRICARE for the care.
Network means the clinic has a contract with the regional administrator, which in Florida is Humana Military.
A clinic can be authorized without being in the network. TrufaMED is TRICARE-authorized and non-network. For a hospital admission or a specialist consult, that distinction usually changes what you owe. For urgent care under Prime, the Humana Military language above removes the point-of-service penalty from the equation as long as the urgent care is authorized, whether or not it is in the network.
What this means for a Prime member in practical terms
Under TRICARE Prime, care obtained outside your primary care manager’s referral normally falls under the point-of-service option, which carries its own deductible and a higher cost share. That is the charge most families are trying to avoid.
Urgent care is the exception. It is the TRICARE benefit that does not require a referral for this, and per Humana Military, an authorized urgent care center does not trigger the point-of-service deductible and cost shares for Prime beneficiaries. Network status does not change that.
Your own cost share still depends on your plan, your sponsor’s status, and your beneficiary category. Humana Military and the TRICARE website are the authority on your specific numbers, and we recommend confirming there or with our front desk before your visit.
Which TRICARE plans we see
TrufaMED sees patients on:
- TRICARE Prime
- TRICARE Select
- TRICARE Reserve Select
- TRICARE For Life
Active duty, retirees, Coast Guard members stationed on Miami Beach, and covered dependents are all seen at the Surfside urgent care. Bring your uniformed services ID card and any secondary coverage information you carry.
What we can handle on site
The reason the authorized-versus-network question matters at all is that it decides where you can be seen quickly without a second trip. TrufaMED was built so that most urgent care visits finish in one place.
On site:
- X-ray
- Ultrasound
- Lab testing
- Physician-led care, with five MDs on staff
TrufaMED is Joint Commission accredited. It is the only Joint Commission-accredited urgent care in Florida, which means the same accrediting body that surveys hospitals has reviewed this urgent care against standards for safety, infection control, medication handling, and documentation. For families used to the standards of a military treatment facility, that is a meaningful reference point.
Our staff speaks eight languages, which matters in a service area that runs from Surfside to Aventura.
Common reasons TRICARE families come in
The visits we see most often from military households in the area are the ones that fall between a primary care appointment and an emergency room:
- Pediatric visits on a weekend or an evening, when a dependent gets sick and the primary care office is closed
- Possible fractures and sprains, where the on-site X-ray settles the question in the same visit
- Illness that needs lab work before anyone can say what it is
- Sports physicals for dependents
For anything life-threatening, chest pain with shortness of breath, stroke symptoms, severe bleeding, or trouble breathing, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. Urgent care is for the tier below that.
Hours and location
TrufaMED is open seven days a week, including the evening hours when TRICARE families most often need care and a primary care office is closed.
- Monday through Friday: 9AM to 9PM
- Saturday: 11AM to 11PM
- Sunday: 12PM to 8PM
Address: 9445 Harding Ave, Surfside, FL 33154
Phone: (305) 537-6396
The urgent care is on Harding Avenue in Surfside, a short drive from Miami Beach, Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Sunny Isles Beach, North Miami Beach, and Aventura.
How to be seen
Walk in during open hours, or register in advance so your paperwork is done before you arrive:
Register for an urgent care visit
You can also call (305) 537-6396 and ask the front desk any TRICARE question before you come in. If you want to confirm your coverage details first, Humana Military and TRICARE’s own site are the source of record for your plan.
The short version
If you carry TRICARE Prime and you have been driving past urgent care clinics because you assumed a non-network visit would cost you a point-of-service penalty, Humana Military’s own guidance says otherwise for authorized urgent care. TrufaMED is TRICARE-authorized, files directly with TRICARE East, and is open seven days a week in Surfside.
TrufaMED Urgent Care & Concierge Medicine is a TRICARE-authorized, non-network urgent care center. TrufaMED is independently owned and operated. Reference to TRICARE, TRICARE East, or Humana Military does not imply endorsement or sponsorship by TRICARE, the Defense Health Agency, or the Department of Defense. Coverage and cost shares depend on your individual plan. Confirm your benefit with Humana Military or at tricare.mil.