NAVAL BRANCH HEALTH CLINIC GROTON

Appointments: 888-628-9633

The primary mission of the Naval Branch Health Clinic (NBHC) Groton — on Naval Submarine Base New London — is to provide quality, patient-centered medical care to all eligible beneficiaries. The clinic is open 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The clinic is closed Sunday and holidays.

NBHC Groton provides a number of services, including primary care, undersea medicine, internal medicine, immunization, wellness services, individual medical readiness (IMR), radiology, physical therapy, audiology, dental, pharmacy and laboratory. Other services offered may be limited specialty services such as dermatology, general surgery, ophthalmology, optometry, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthopedics, otorhinolaryngology (ENT), chiropractic care and podiatry.

The Occupational Medicine Department provides services that include radiation health, preventive medicine and industrial hygiene.

The Primary Care Clinic’s primary function is to provide care to TRICARE Prime and designated SPP (special provisions patient) beneficiaries. Other categories of patients are seen on a space-available basis. TRICARE Prime patients are enrolled to a specific primary care manager. In the event that an appointment is not available with the assigned primary care manager, another provider on the team may provide the needed services. Appointments are required for all services except for Prime patient walk-in protocols.

TRICARE Prime patients can have the following procedures performed at NBHC Groton as a walk-in patient without having an appointment: blood pressure check, sore throat/throat culture (non-active duty only), suture removal and urinary tract infection culture (female patients only).

NBHC Groton does not provide emergency or inpatient care. If you have a true emergency (threat to life, limb or sight), call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. If on base, call 860-694-3333 for emergency medical support. Emergency care does not require advance authorization. However, if you are a TRICARE Prime patient, you or a family member must call the clinic appointment line at 888-628-9633 within 24 hours to notify your primary care provider about your emergency room visit.

After-hours urgent care requires prior authorization from a provider. Urgent care services are medically necessary services required for illness or injury that would not result in further disability or death if not treated immediately but require professional attention and have the potential to develop into such a threat if treatment is delayed longer than 24 hours. Urgent care conditions include, but are not limited to, sprains, sore throat or a rising temperature.

In an urgent care situation, call the Naval Health Clinic New England Appointment Call Center, open during clinic core business hours, at 888-628-9633. If a call is made after regular business hours, the messaging service will contact the provider “on call,” who will contact you directly. The provider will either advise you on how to handle your health care needs, suggest an appointment or authorize urgent care at a civilian ER or urgent care center.

Quality Management Departmen

t — Continuous process improvement, risk management, patient safety, customer service and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) are managed in the Quality Management Department. To submit concerns, recommendations or compliments, call the Quality Management coordinator at 860-694-5224. To submit comments using the command website, go to www.med.navy.mil/sites/nhcne/nhcne/index.htm and follow the customer feedback link.

Appointment Call Center

— All appointments are now scheduled through the Naval Health Clinic New England Appointment Call Center by calling 888-628-9633. You may also use the Appointment Call Center to cancel or reschedule appointments or leave a message for your provider.

This process offers you a quick and easy way to schedule appointments. It provides you more appointment times to choose from, personalized service from specially trained appointment agents, efficient and streamlined service, and direct contact with clinic personnel when needed.

Dress Code

— Active-duty personnel must be in the prescribed uniform of the day to be seen at our facility, unless they are on leave or in a liberty status.

Eligibility

— The following list is the categories of persons eligible for medical care at NBHC Groton. When only limited services are available, active-duty personnel are given priority, while other beneficiaries are seen on a space-available basis.

• Active-duty members of the armed forces.
• TRICARE Prime enrollees, family members of active-duty personnel, retirees and their family members not currently enrolled with USFHP.
• Members of the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service.
• Members of the Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
• Unremarried widows and widowers of deceased members of the armed forces on a space-available basis who are not enrolled in the USFHP.
• Parent or parent-in-law who possesses a valid ID card.
• Reservists on active duty or injured while on active duty for training status.

A military ID card must be presented prior to treatment, unless a life-threatening emergency exists. Active-duty personnel, retired military personnel and family members 10 years of age or older are required to present a valid identification card.

Sick call is available for active-duty members at NBHC Groton. Submarine School students should call 860-694-3743 for an appointment and then report to Undersea Medicine between 7 and 9 a.m. Monday through Friday. All other active-duty members may call 888-628-9633 for an appointment.

Pharmacy

— New prescriptions from civilian providers can be faxed or electronically sent by the prescriber. If newly prescribed or renewed medications are from clinic providers they will be entered directly through NBHC Groton’s electronic medical record. In both cases, the patient or designee must visit the pharmacy to be interviewed and to activate the filling process. The medication must be on the clinic’s formulary (list of medications carried), and the patient must be eligible in DEERS and have a clinic computer record and a military ID card. Copies of the formulary are available at the pharmacy and online at www.med.navy.mil/sites/nhcne/nhcne/index.htm for reference. Prescriptions can also be obtained through the TRICARE mail-order pharmacy and at local retail pharmacies.

To obtain refills, patients should use the pharmacy’s call-in refill system at 877-211-1126 or use the “online refills” choice online at www.med.navy.mil/sites/nhcne/nhcne/index.htm. This phone number and website are also printed at the top of all prescription labels. Refilled prescriptions are ready to be picked up after three business days.

To meet HIPAA requirements, anyone acting for another adult (including a spouse or child 18 years of age or older) MUST present the patient’s ID, or a copy of the front and back, or a legible image in a cell phone. This applies to all pharmacy services.

Over-the-counter Medication Program

— Select over-the-counter medications are currently available to patients eligible for service at the pharmacy. The program is designed to treat minor symptoms when a provider visit is not available. Patients must complete the form with all pertinent information; the form is then reviewed, screened for appropriateness and entered into the medical record. There are some limitations as to what can be dispensed due to patient age, pregnancy or sea status as well as a maximum of three medications per family per month.

Dental Program

— The Dental Clinic is in Building 575, next to the Naval Branch Health Clinic. Dental services are available for active-duty members only. The hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Dental Clinic is closed for lunch noon to 1 p.m. Sick call hours are 7 to 10 a.m. and noon to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 860-694-3736 for an appointment. In the event of a dental emergency, patients should call the Naval Branch Health Clinic Groton quarterdeck at 860-694-4123.

Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Program (SARP)

— The SARP clinic is on the third floor of Building 449. The clinic supports all organizations at Naval Submarine Base New London, military branches in southern New England, and metropolitan commands in the Connecticut, New York and New Jersey area. SARP provides screening and assessments for the purpose of making a diagnostic recommendation on personnel who have either identified themselves or whom the command has identified as potential substance abusers, due to substance-related incidents or concerns. These services are primarily provided to active-duty members; however, military dependents over age 18 and retirees are seen on a case-by-case basis based on space availability.