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How to get care while you’re traveling
Nonurgent care
COVID-19 testing: Visit kp.org/covidtesting to learn more about your options and schedule a COVID-19 test from Kaiser Permanente.
If you’re outside a Kaiser Permanente area, visit covidtests.gov to find a licensed, independent testing facility near you.
You may also choose to pack COVID-19 self-tests for personal use. But remember that not all travel agencies accept self-tests as proof of a negative COVID-19 test. Be sure to check your trip’s travel requirements.
Proof of COVID-19 vaccination: Visit kp.org/covidvaccine, choose your region, and select “Get your digital COVID-19 vaccine card.”
You can also access your proof of vaccination in the Kaiser Permanente app.
For the latest updates on COVID-19, including vaccines and how to get care, visit kp.org/covid.
In a Kaiser Permanente area: Call the Away from Home Travel Line at 951-268-3900 (TTY 711).1 We’ll help you find a pharmacy nearby.
Depending on your plan, you may need to pay for your medication upfront and file a claim for reimbursement later.2 You’ll also need to pay any copays, coinsurance, or deductible payments you would pay at home.
Outside of a Kaiser Permanente area: You can get your medication refilled at a local pharmacy as long as you have refills left on your prescription. When you go to the pharmacy, have the following information ready:
- Your Kaiser Permanente medical record number. If you have more than one, use the number from the area where you got your prescription.
- Your current pharmacy’s name and phone number.
- Your prescribed medication’s name, strength, and directions for use.
- The name and phone number of the doctor who gave you the prescription.
Once the local pharmacy has this information, they’ll call Kaiser Permanente to transfer your prescription. You’ll need to pay for the medication and file a claim for reimbursement later.2
In a Kaiser Permanente area: If you’re traveling and want to receive care in a different Kaiser Permanente area, you’ll need to create a new medical record number for the area you’re visiting.
- Sign in to your kp.org account on a desktop computer. Select “Add an area of care” and follow the prompts to create a medical record number for a new region and add the new area of care to your account.3 For more information, visit our support center.
- If you don’t have a kp.org account, or need additional assistance, please call the Travel Line at 951-268-3900 (TTY 711).1
After you get your new medical record number, you’ll be able to schedule appointments right away, access 24/7 care by phone or online, and track and manage the Kaiser Permanente care you get while traveling.4
You don’t need a new medical record number to access urgent or emergency care.4
Outside a Kaiser Permanente area: Routine services aren’t covered outside Kaiser Permanente areas, so make sure to get them before your trip.
Urgent or emergency care6
Within the United States: If you or a family member who is enrolled in Kaiser Permanente coverage has a medical emergency, get care right away. You don’t have to let Kaiser Permanente know or get approval first. Here’s what to do:
- Call 911 or go to the nearest hospital. Always use the emergency services available where you are.
- If you get care from a non–Kaiser Permanente facility, call us once your condition is stable to let us know you’ve received emergency care or been admitted to a hospital. If appropriate, the doctor treating you can call instead.6
Outside the United States: Immediately go to the nearest hospital or any facility that can give you the care you need. Kaiser Permanente won’t be able to help manage your care until your emergency or urgent care need is under control or is being managed by a doctor.
- If you get emergency care, call 1-888-859-0880 when your condition is stable to let us know you’ve been treated for an emergency or admitted to a hospital. If you’re a member in Southern California, please instead call 1-800-225-8883.6,7 If appropriate, the doctor treating you can call instead. We’ll talk to the doctor treating you to discuss your condition and health plan coverage, and help you decide what to do next. We have interpreter services that allow us to talk to doctors who don’t speak English.
- Should you need significant medical care, like hospitalization and treatment, while traveling internationally, we have a vendor that will work with your Kaiser Permanente regional care team and claims department to help you get the care you need.
- Upon return from your international trip, notify your personal doctor of hospitalization or urgent care services you received during your visit. Your medical care team can help you monitor any conditions that arose when you were traveling.
If you’ve been hospitalized, the doctor treating you may decide you still need care after your condition has been stabilized. This is called post-stabilization care. You’ll need to get approval from Kaiser Permanente for this kind of care to be covered under your Kaiser Permanente plan.
- Call us as soon as you can, preferably before you get post-stabilization care.6 Getting approval helps protect you from financial responsibility because we may not cover services we don’t approve first.
- If we agree you need post-stabilization care, we may authorize the doctor treating you to give you this care. Or we may choose a different provider who can provide the right care for your condition.
- Ask the doctor treating you if Kaiser Permanente has approved your care, including any transportation. In addition to post-stabilization care, you’ll need to get any related transportation approved. When medically necessary transportation is needed for your care (as determined by Kaiser Permanente), we will arrange these services for you.8
Outpatient follow-up care is generally not covered, unless we authorize it or it’s considered urgent. This includes any follow-up care you need after an emergency or urgent care visit, like removing stitches or a cast. Call us before you get follow-up care to check whether it’s covered.
Within the United States: You can go to any urgent care facility and file for reimbursement later. And there are many facilities you can visit without paying extra upfront for care.12 Outside of Kaiser Permanente states, you can often pay your normal copay or coinsurance for prescriptions you receive too — no need to file a claim for reimbursement later.3,7
Find a location near you:
- Kaiser Permanente locations: Urgent and emergency care options available. Members will only pay a copay or coinsurance.
- Cigna PPO Network providers12 (sign-in required): Urgent and emergency care options are available in states where Kaiser Permanente does not operate. Members will be billed for their copay or coinsurance later.
- MinuteClinic locations: Urgent care options available. Members will only pay a copay or coinsurance.
- Concentra clinics: Urgent care options available. Members will only pay a copay or coinsurance.
- The Little Clinic: Urgent care options available. Members will only pay copay or coinsurance.
If you go to a Cigna, MinuteClinic, Concentra, or The Little Clinic location in a state with Kaiser Permanente facilities, you’ll be asked to pay the full cost of your care upfront and will need to file a claim for reimbursement.
Outside the United States: Immediately go to the nearest hospital or any facility that can give you the care you need. Kaiser Permanente won’t be able to help manage your care until your urgent care need is under control or is being managed by a doctor.
Care while away at college
Going away to college can be challenging. But a little planning can make a big difference. Here are a few easy ways to prepare for college:
- Create a kp.org account to track and manage your Kaiser Permanente care online and email your care team with nonurgent questions anytime. If a parent or caregiver is helping to manage your care, set up Act for a Family Member.
- If you’re managing a health condition, see your doctor before you go.
- Take care of any routine care needs before heading to school — like checkups and flu shots, as well as support for mental health, sleep issues, and infectious diseases.
- Refill your prescriptions, including contact lenses. Be sure to order refills at least 1 to 2 weeks before you need them so there’s time to process your request. In some states, you may be able to get your prescriptions delivered to you at no extra cost.9
- Check with your school to see if you need a student health plan or international travel coverage.
- Download these wellness apps for help navigating life’s challenges, like how to improve your sleep, mood, relationships, and more.
If you ever have questions about your Kaiser Permanente health coverage, care, and claims while you’re away, call the Away from Home Travel Line at 951-268-3900 (TTY 711).5
If you’re in a different Kaiser Permanente area for college and want to receive care in person or online, you’ll need to create a new medical record number for the area you’re in.10
- Sign in to your kp.org account on a desktop computer. Select “Add an area of care” and follow the prompts to create a medical record number for the area you’re visiting. For more information, visit our support center.
- If you don’t have a kp.org account, or need additional assistance, please call the Away from Home Travel Line at 951-268-3900 (TTY 711).5
After you get your new medical record number, you’ll be able to schedule appointments right away, plus track and manage the Kaiser Permanente care you get while traveling.11
You don’t need a new medical record number to access urgent or emergency care.2
Learn more about the types of Kaiser Permanente care you can get while you’re away.
You’re covered for urgent and emergency care anywhere in the world.2 For routine care (such as checkups, preventive screenings, and flu shots), consider signing up for a student health plan through your college. Keeping up with routine care means you can:
- Get routine physical exams
- Get tested for sexually transmitted infections (like chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV) and receive prevention information
- Keep track of your mental health, such as your risk for depression
- Learn about substance use disorder and how to avoid it
- Discuss your weight management and fitness needs
Routine care also includes:
- Office visits
- Outpatient surgery (with certain exceptions)
- Allergy tests and allergy injections
- Physical, occupational, and speech therapy
- Prenatal and postnatal care
Keep your Kaiser Permanente coverage so you can:
- Get care at home during school breaks
- Keep in touch with your personal doctor
- Access your electronic health record
Across the U.S., you can also get 24/7 care from a Kaiser Permanente clinician by phone or online — always tracked in your electronic health record. Sign in to your kp.org account to find the right care method for you and get started.
Reviewed: January 2023
© 2023 Kaiser Permanente
1This number can be dialed inside and outside the United States. Before the phone number, dial “001” for landlines and “+1” for mobile lines if you’re outside the country. Long-distance charges may apply, and we can’t accept collect calls. The phone line is closed on major holidays (New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, July Fourth, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas). It closes early the day before a holiday at 10 p.m. Pacific time (PT), and it reopens the day after a holiday at 4 a.m. PT.
2The amount members are reimbursed will depend on what their copays or coinsurance are, whether they have a deductible, and other plan limitations, consistent with the terms of the member’s Evidence of Coverage or other coverage documents.
3You can add an area of care to your own account only. You won’t be able to add an area of care for someone else if you’re acting as their caregiver.
4When appropriate and available. If you travel out of state, phone appointments and video visits may not be available in select states due to licensing laws.Laws differ by state.
5If you believe you have an emergency medical condition, call 911 or go to the nearest hospital. For the complete definition of an emergency medical condition, please refer to your Evidence of Coverage or other coverage documents.
6For specific timing considerations, please refer to your Evidence of Coverage or other coverage documents.
7These numbers can be dialed from both inside and outside the United States. Before the phone number, dial “001” for landlines and “+1” for mobile lines if you’re outside the country. Long-distance charges may apply, and we can’t accept collect calls.
8Kaiser Permanente Georgia health plan does not cover transportation services for nonurgent, nonemergency care from outside the service area, and any request for transportation is subject to review.
9Medicare and Georgia commercial members are required to pay upfront and seek reimbursement for any urgent and emergency care or pharmacy services received outside of Kaiser Permanente states.
10Only commonly prescribed acute care medications made during an urgent or emergency visit outside of Kaiser Permanente states are included in this benefit. Maintenance medications (like for blood pressure, diabetes, or cholesterol) and high-cost or specialty medications aren’t included, so you’ll have to pay upfront for them and file a claim for reimbursement.
11Cigna, MinuteClinic, Concentra, and The Little Clinic coverage vary by plan.
12The Cigna PPO Network refers to the health care providers (doctors, hospitals, specialists) contracted as part of the Cigna PPO for Shared Administration.
Cigna is an independent company and not affiliated with Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., and its subsidiary health plans. Access to the Cigna PPO Network is available through Cigna's contractual relationship with the Kaiser Permanente health plans. The Cigna PPO Network is provided exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, including Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company. The Cigna name, logo, and other Cigna marks are owned by Cigna Intellectual Property, Inc.