TRICARE, under the Defense Health Agency/United States Department of War, has announced a 5-year PREHOSPITAL BLOOD TRANSFUSION DEMONSTRATION PROJECT to help prehospital blood agencies get reimbursed for the care they provide.
There are over 8.8 million TRICARE beneficiaries in the United States (https://dha.mil/Offices-and-Programs/TRICARE-Health-Plan).
- ACTIONS For All:
- Spread the word: the demonstration pilot kicks off on January 1st, 2027.
- Air and Ground EMS agencies: make sure your documentation accurately meets the required elements for reimbursement.
- Prehospital Billing Agencies: close the loop with your agencies to ensure you are ready to launch on January 1st, 2027.
- This is a demonstration pilot. It will only be successful if claims are submitted during the project period.
- The link to the Federal announcement: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/06/2026-13515/tricare-demonstration-project-for-tricare-ambulance-add-on-reimbursement-for-pre-hospital-blood.
- Blood Center Actions:
- Send this information out to all of your current air and ground prehospital blood customers. Please get to know the key stakeholders and help them understand this project’s importance.
- As they onboard new agencies, make sure they are aware that this is a reimbursement option for agencies.
- The agencies will need to submit recipients from their blood supplier, identifying the type and cost of product(s) used. We would recommend that Blood Centers identify a specific mechanism or process (person/department) that prehospital agencies/billers can use should they need that info. It would be great to eliminate the pain point of having to make multiple calls to a Blood Center to find the right person to speak with.
THANK YOU to all who have supported the effort to expand access to this lifesaving intervention!