What is an MTF? TRICARE Military Hospital Guide | TRICARE.com

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## Definition An MTF, or Military Hospital or Clinic, is a medical facility operated by the Department of Defense that provides care to active duty service members, their families, and other TRICARE beneficiaries.

## What it means in practice For a TRICARE beneficiary, an MTF is your "home base" for healthcare if you are enrolled in a Prime plan. These facilities range from small clinics providing primary care to large medical centers like Walter Reed or Brooke Army Medical Center that offer complex surgical specialties. In practice, the MTF is the most cost-effective place to receive care because there are generally no out-of-pocket costs for services provided within the facility for any TRICARE plan.

If you are an Active Duty Service Member (ADSM), you are required to receive your care at an MTF unless a specific waiver or referral allows you to see a civilian provider. For Active Duty Family Members (ADFMs) enrolled in TRICARE Prime, you are usually assigned a Primary Care Manager (PCM) located at the MTF. If the MTF cannot provide the specific specialist care you need (due to "capacity or capability"), the MTF referral office will coordinate your care with a civilian provider in the TRICARE network (Humana Military in the East or TriWest in the West).

For those using TRICARE Select, an MTF is an option only on a "space-available" basis. This means TRICARE Select beneficiaries can rarely rely on MTFs for routine care and typically see civilian network providers instead. However, all TRICARE beneficiaries can typically use the MTF pharmacy at no cost ($0 copay for 2026) for medications on the basic formulary, regardless of which plan they use.

When seeking care at an MTF, you will use the Military Health System (MHS) GENESIS Patient Portal to book appointments, view lab results, and message your provider. Under the current T-5 contract (effective 2025/2026), the coordination between MTFs and civilian contractors like TriWest Healthcare Alliance has been streamlined to ensure that if an MTF cannot see you within TRICARE access-to-care standards, you are quickly moved to a private sector specialist.

## Related terms * **PCM (Primary Care Manager):** The specific doctor or clinic at an MTF (or in the network) responsible for your routine care and referrals. * **Direct Care:** Healthcare services provided directly by military personnel at an MTF, as opposed to "Purchased Care" in the civilian sector. * **Right of First Refusal:** The process where an MTF reviews a referral to decide if they want to see the patient in-house before allowing them to go to a civilian provider. * **MHS GENESIS:** The unified electronic health record system used across all MTFs for patient records and scheduling. * **Space-Available Care:** Medical care provided to non-Prime beneficiaries at an MTF only when there are open appointments not filled by active duty or Prime enrollees.

## Sources * **TRICARE.mil:** [Military Hospitals and Clinics](https://www.tricare.mil/mtf) * **Health.mil:** [Defense Health Agency (DHA) Facility Search](https://health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Access-Cost-Quality-and-Safety/Access-to-Healthcare/Find-a-Military-Hospital-or-Clinic) * **TriWest Healthcare Alliance:** [Provider Information](https://www.triwest.com)