How does TRICARE define an emergency?
An emergency is defined as a medical, maternity, or psychiatric condition that would lead a “prudent layperson” (someone with average knowledge of health and medicine) to believe that a serious medical condition exists or that the absence of immediate medical attention would result in a threat to life, limb, or sight; or when the person manifests painful symptoms requiring immediate palliative effort to relieve suffering. This includes situations where a beneficiary presents with severe pain related to a medical condition.
