About USFHP
US Family Health Plan, a Department of Defense-sponsored health plan, is made available by non-profit health care providers in six designated service areas across the country, and offers the TRICARE Prime® benefit to uniformed services beneficiaries residing in those service areas.
To learn more, please visit www.usfhp.com.
- To provide quality health care for uniformed services family members, retirees and their family members.
- To have well-cared for and extremely satisfied members.
- To demonstrate quality, value, and operational effectiveness to a growing enrollee population.
- To continue as an integral and respected health care partner in the Military Health System of the Department of Defense (DoD).
For more than 80 years, we’ve been proud to provide healthcare to northwest military families through US Family Health Plan.
Here's our history:
This Art Deco style building was built to serve primarily merchant seamen. Over the years, the patient population grew. It soon included Coast Guard, NOAA and other uniformed personnel, among others.
Marine Hospital is designated as a US Public Health Service Hospital.
Congress passed the Omnibus Reconciliation Act. This act closed all but seven Public Health Service Hospitals. The hospital on Beacon Hill was in this group. These hospitals were designated as Uniform Services Treatment Facilities (USTFs). They continued to serve military beneficiaries under a special program. This program was called the Uniformed Services Treatment Plan. Locally, the ownership of the historic Beacon Hill hospital building was transferred to the Pacific Hospital Preservation and Development Authority. PacMed was created to care for the military patients in outpatient clinics under this plan.
The DoD took over responsibility for the Uniformed Services Treatment Plan. It is no longer within the Department of Health and Human Services.
Military beneficiaries continued to be seen at PacMed outpatient clinics under the Plan. The PacMed clinics also began contracting with private insurance companies. This enabled them to care for non-military members in the community.
The Uniformed Services Treatment Plan was renamed Uniformed Services Family Health Plan.
Congress renamed the seven sites providing the health plan. They are now known as “TRICARE Designated Providers.” They become a permanent part of the Military Health System.
In 1998, each of the Uniformed Services Family Health Plan providers begins to offer the TRICARE Prime benefit.
The name was shortened to US Family Health Plan. Copayments are eliminated for active duty dependents. Copays also are cut for members age 65 and over with Medicare Part B. This makes healthcare essentially free for these beneficiaries.
US Family Health Plan grew its provider network. It added other multi-specialty medical groups and can reach more patients, more easily.
- USFHP offers discounts for health and wellness services not covered by TRICARE®. We offer these discounts through an extensive network of vendors. Services include: naturopathic care, massage therapy, eyeglasses, fitness club memberships, walking trackers, activity planners, online food journals and more.
- Some of our network providers are nationally accredited for working with patients who have diabetes and heart disease.
- We have nurse advocates who help patients with complex conditions to coordinate their care. When a patient moves from the hospital to home or to another care facility, the nurse advocates are there to help. They will work closely with the network providers. This service helps ensure our patients are getting the care they need.
- US Family Health Plan has low rates of readmission and emergency room visits. Nationally recognized health care consultants say USFHP is "well managed."
- US Family Health Plan wants to measure how well we are doing. To do this, we use a tool called the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS). HEDIS data reporting helps us monitor our performance for diabetes care, cardiovascular care, cancer screening and access to care.
- 99% of claims are paid within 30 days.
- We make referral authorizations within five business days or less.
- An annual survey shows an overall satisfaction rating with USFHP of 85%. The survey is done by an independent vendor that is certified by NCQA. The vendor uses CAHPS® survey methods, i.e. patients experience reporting.
Are you interested in learning how well we manage patient care compared to national benchmarks? Download the full 2020 USFHP Report Card.
On March 17, 2016 representatives from the US Family Health Plan Alliance briefed U.S. Senate staff on the incredible quality of care, high patient satisfaction and military support, the US Family Health Plan and the Alliance provide through TRICARE Prime.