Due to staffing shortfalls in the orthopedic department at Naval Hospital Oak Harbor, orthopedic consultations for family members and retirees to Naval Hospital Oak Harbor will have to be curtailed.

New appointments for orthopedic care are now provided to active duty only. Referrals for family members and retirees requiring orthopedic care will be deferred to TRICARE network providers.

However, the current support provided by the orthopedic technicians at the Naval Hospital, including splinting and casting, will continue and can be accessed through your primary care manager.

Please note that the process of getting referred for orthopedic care in the civilian network will be no different than how we handle referrals for other specialty services that we cannot provide at the Naval Hospital.

You first make an appointment with your primary care manager who will enter the consult request into the referral system. The referral management office at the naval hospital, working in conjunction with the TRICARE office, processes the referral and a letter is sent to you providing you with the name of the orthopedic doctor who will provide your care.

This whole process should be seamless to you but if you have any questions, please feel free to contact the referral management office at 257-9571. We have contacted many of the TRICARE network orthopedic providers in our local access area and have been assured that they have the capacity to handle our orthopedic referrals for eligible dependents and retirees.

We are not certain at this point how long the shortfall will exist and are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Notice will be provided when full orthopedic services at Naval Hospital Oak Harbor can be resumed.