TRICARE users have less than two months to download their medical records via the TRICARE Online Patient Portal, which will decommission April 1 as part of DoD’s move to the MHS GENESIS electronic health record.

These records include lab results, immunizations, medication lists, allergies, and a range of other medical data. Your military treatment facility providers will continue to have access to your complete health records.

“If you moved from one duty station to another, and one military hospital or clinic used [the TRICARE Online Patient Portal] and the other used MHS GENESIS, your records in MHS GENESIS may have gaps,” according to a Jan. 22 Defense Health Agency (DHA) statement on the record transition.

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Beneficiaries should download their records before the changeover to ensure they have a complete digital copy of their legacy health records for personal use.

“When it comes to medical care, you are your own best advocate – and there’s no way to predict what records you’ll need to make your case,” said Lila Quintiliani, MOAA’s program director for financial and benefits education and counseling.

“Get copies of what’s available for you and your family and store them somewhere safe – one digital version on one old laptop may not be the best solution.”

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Downloading Your Records

TRICARE Online Patient Portal users can download step-by-step instructions, with visual aids, at this link (PDF). Begin by logging in at TRICAREOnline.com – those without a Common Access Card (CAC) or DS Logon credentials can access their materials by following instructions at the “Create New Account” prompt.

After clicking the “Health Record” option on the homepage, choose “Download My Data” and select the relevant dates, categories, and individuals. Materials dating back 30 years are available to beneficiaries, according to the DHA statement, and include full records for children up to age 12 and limited records from ages 12 to 17. You can request printed results for adolescents from your child’s clinic or provider.

Note that medical record downloads can take up to several hours.

Other Options

Beneficiaries may also request physical copies of their records from the records management office of their military medical facility. Forms must be filled out in person, and beneficiaries will need to return to the facility at a designated time to retrieve the records. Beginning April 1, if you want your legacy health records, you’ll have to request a physical copy from your military hospital or clinic’s records management office.

For questions about the record retrieval process, contact TRICARE Online Patient Portal customer service at (800) 600-9332.