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Consultation Reports (Clear and Legible Reports)

Each year, military hospitals and clinics refer thousands of TRICARE beneficiaries to civilian providers. Military providers depend on consultation reports to coordinate their patients’ plans of care. Under TRICARE, consultation reports are called clear and legible reports or CLRs.

One requirement of TRICARE network providers is to submit consultation reports – or CLRs – to referring or local military hospitals or clinics within specified time frames. This requirement applies to care referred by a military hospital or clinic, and to care received at an urgent care center. 

Not receiving timely consult reports can impact: 

  • Military readiness or fitness for duty 
  • Continuity of care plans
  • Timely access to needed treatment
  • Patient anxiety due to delayed care

Learn the Basicis

Consult Documentation Training

Take this self-paced training to learn more about why consult reports are important, the patient continuum of care, timeliness standards for returning consult documentation, and where and how to submit consult documentation to military hospitals and clinics. 

Access the course today: https://tinyurl.com/52zcbpc8

 

 

 

Submittal Time Frames

Once you have rendered care, the “clock” for returning consultation or initial assessment documentation starts.

Consultation Type Consultation Standard
Emergent care

Send with 24 hours

  • Follow up any preliminary reports with the full report within seven business days. 
  • Specify any civilian provider referrals made during the visit.
Urgent care

Send within 48 hours. Submit these to the beneficiary’s assigned military hospital or clinic, as there may not be a referring provider.

  • Follow up any preliminary reports with the full report within seven business days. 
  • Specify any civilian provider referrals made during the visit. 
All others (except mental health*) Send within seven business days.

 

*Mental Health Initial Assessment Standard
Mental health care providers      Only required to send brief initial assessment to the referring military hospital or clinic within seven business days

 

Note: Submittal time frames are the same whether the care was delivered in-person or via telemedicine.
 

Patient Release Not Required

As a reminder, you do not need to request release of information for sending patient information to referring military hospitals and clinics, in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Privacy Rule defined at Code of Federal Regulations, Title 45, Subchapter C, Part 164, Subpart E, §506.

This applies to physical and mental health care visits.

Exception: Obtain patient authorization before releasing sensitive information such as alcohol and drug abuse records, as required by law.

How to Submit

Each military hospital and clinic has an established secure CLR fax line specifically for this purpose. Locate the appropriate CLR fax number on the approval letter issued by HNFS or use our CLR Fax Matrix.

  • Military hospitals and clinics do not have access to all electronic medical record programs. They need to receive consultation documentation by fax so they can keep up to date on their TRICARE beneficiaries’ conditions.

  • The easiest way to locate the military treatment facility’s fax number is by getting it from our approval letter. Look for the “Confidential Fax Number” provided in the letter (the page number varies based on the number of services being approved).

Didn’t get a letter? You can find copies of our determination letters through our secure Authorization Status tool. Check out our Authorization Status guide to learn more. 

 

CLR Fax Matrix

Our CLR Fax Matrix also lists all TRICARE West Region secure military hospital or clinic fax numbers and a local CLR mailing address should you prefer to mail the CLR. This matrix is subject to change. Always confirm fax numbers before sending report. 

To ensure reports are linked to the correct beneficiary, please include two or more sources of identification for each beneficiary (such as first name, middle initial, last name, date of birth, last four numbers of the sponsor’s Social Security number) on each report.

Consultation Reports to Civilian Providers

For care referred by a non-military (civilian) provider, do not send reports to a military clinic’s CLR fax line. Instead, submit these consultation reports to the requesting civilian provider within seven business days of the service or sooner if clinically appropriate. Submission of consultation reports to civilian providers is important as it ensures all treating providers are updated on the beneficiary’s care.