Cyberattack Impact on Fort Riley Pharmacy Operations

A reported cyberattack on the nation’s largest commercial prescription processor, Change Healthcare, continues to affect military clinics and hospitals worldwide. On February 21, Change Healthcare disconnected their systems to protect patient information. This is impacting all military pharmacies worldwide and some retail pharmacies nationally.

As of March 13, 2024, Fort Riley pharmacies continue to provide prescriptions through manual procedures until this issue is resolved. Please be patient as it will take longer than usual to safely fill prescriptions.

Active Duty Service Members are encouraged to go to Farrelly Health Clinic pharmacy to expedite their prescription needs.

It is unknown at this time when the issue will be resolved.

Questions and Answers

Q1. Will my medication that I already called in to be refilled still be refilled or do I need to call it in again?

A1. Medication will still be processed but may be delayed. Patients are encouraged to use the 24/7 refill line to process their refill prescriptions and are encouraged to use the 24/7 ScriptCenter kiosk as their pickup location.

Q2. I have a new prescription for IACH Pharmacy, will it get filled?

A2. Yes, Fort Riley pharmacies have procedures to process prescriptions during the downtime.

Q3. I have a new prescription for my retail pharmacy, will it get filled?

A3. Many retail pharmacies utilize CHC to some extent. If your TRICARE network pharmacy uses CHC and was affected by their action to disconnect their services, you may be asked to pay full cost for your prescriptions and then you will need to file a claim for reimbursement. You can choose another network pharmacy not affected by the outage or utilize the TRICARE Mail Order Pharmacy (TMOP), or you can take your prescription to your local MTF pharmacy. Information on filing a claim can be found here: Pharmacy Claims | TRICARE

Q4. I use TRICARE Home Delivery. Will I get my prescriptions?

A4. Yes, the TRICARE Home Delivery program was not affected by CHC going off line.

Q5. While the system is down, do I need a paper prescription?

A5. Within Fort Riley pharmacies, no you do not need a paper prescription. If your network provider's office is impacted, they may provide you with a paper prescription for prescription needs.

Q6. Will my medications be covered by TRICARE while the system is down?

A6. Pharmacy must confirm every prescription and patient is covered through the TRICARE benefit during the downtime. Select medications may require a Prior Authorization, Medical Necessity, or other paperwork to be submitted to TRICARE. Expect a longer wait time if pharmacy needs to confirm coverage of these type medications. Pharmacy may ask you for your TRICARE approval letter to validate coverage. Patients can search what medications their benefit covers, cost, and other information using the online TRICARE formulary search tool: Open Enrollment - Pharmacy Benefit Plans (express-scripts.com)