Turbocharge TRICARE referrals Published Oct. 15, 2010 By Tyler Patterson VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Your primary care manager has referred you to a specialist. Once your authorization is approved and arrives in the mail (in about a week), you'll be able to make your appointment. But what if your authorization could arrive in hours instead of days? One option is registering for a secure www.TriWest.com account, where you can review or print your referrals and authorizations electronically in 12 to 36 hours. You can also make those appointments that much quicker, and be on the road to getting the care you need. Just log in to your registered account and click "Go Green," and choose from electronic authorization and referral letters, Explanation of Benefits statements or fee statements. You can even start receiving your selected letters in your e-mail inbox instead of your mailbox. And there are more benefits to receiving your authorization and referral letters online: · Want to change your specialty provider? You can--online, right from your account! · Going to a new provider? Your authorization letter links directly to contact, map and practice information. · Don't worry about misplacing or losing your authorization letter! Print a copy from any computer with an Internet connection, whenever you need it. West region TRICARE beneficiaries can learn more about going paperless and managing their referrals and authorizations online at www.triwest.com/gogreen. New users can click "Register" to set up an account, while existing users can click "Login" to get started right away.