MyChart (Patient Portal) (2024)

FAQs

What are the downsides of MyChart? ›

Patient portals can inadvertently contribute to alienation between patients and healthcare providers, particularly among populations with limited access to these online tools. Individuals with lower health literacy may be resistant to using patient portals due to the potential for confusion and misunderstanding.

Use MyChart Message Center to have conversations with your doctor or other clinic staff, ask non-emergency medical questions, send test results to your provider from another provider or network, and even upload your official COVID-19 vaccination record.

Conclusions. Evidence regarding health outcomes is generally favorable, and patient portals have the potential to enhance the doctor-patient relationship, improve health status awareness, and increase adherence to therapy.

Lack of online medical records - Roughly 32% of patients reported not having an online medical record, which is a prerequisite for utilizing a patient portal. Limited internet access - Approximately 25% of patients cited a lack of internet access as a barrier to using patient portals.

Patient portals enable patients to communicate securely and conveniently with their providers. These systems give patients the power to view doctor visits, obtain test results, request medication refills or discuss any medical-related matters.

The most common barriers to patient portal adoption are preference for in-person communication, not having a need for the patient portal, and feeling uncomfortable with computers, which are barriers that are modifiable and can be intervened upon.

About 3 in 5 individuals nationwide reported they were offered and accessed their online medical record or patient portal in 2022 — this represents a 50 percent increase since 2020. Figure 1: Percent of individuals nationwide who were offered and accessed their online medical record or patient portal, 2014-2022.

Concerns for patient privacy

Providers in the interview study explain, “Any new portal was seen as 'a potential information leak', that could occur through a number of means: a stolen password, a shared password, or hackers.”

Messaging your doctor can be a convenient way to get medical advice. You can send a note through MyChart whenever you have time – day or night – and your provider will typically reply in one to three business days.

Why do people use MyChart? ›

You can use MyChart to: Schedule or request physician office medical appointments. You can also see your appointment history and details about each one. When you get to the office, check in for your appointment through MyChart and minimize wait times.

Multiple members of your care team may view MyChart messages in order to get an appropriate and efficient response; this may include nurses or advance practice clinicians other than your primary care provider (PCP).

Some potential disadvantages of patient portals include:

Disparities in age, technological literacy, and internet access can make use of patient portals intimidating or unattractive to some patients.

With a patient portal, your healthcare provider owns the information and they maintain it. They make the necessary updates based on your visits, results, and queries. In contrast, with a PHR, you are the owner. As we've said, this gives you greater control over your health information.

Patient portals can help you access medical records, set up appointments, communicate with your health care professional, and pay medical bills.

Access to information is controlled through secure activation codes, personal usernames, and passwords. Each person controls their password, and the account must be accessed using that password. On the MyChart mobile app, you can also log in using face ID or fingerprint login.

Deactivation does not affect information already in your MyChart account; however, the information will no longer be available to send, receive, or access any additional information.

When your information is shared, your record is encrypted and delivered in a secure, electronic format. Only healthcare professionals who are involved in your care can see your information at the healthcare organization.