MyChart - Frequently Asked Questions

myChart FAQs

• What medical information is available in MyChart?

  MyChart provides access to portions of your medical information stored in your UTMB Health electronic medical record. This includes things such as your allergies, immunizations, prescriptions, test results, diagnoses, preventive care needed, appointments, demographics and billing information.

  MyChart does not display all information in your medical record. Each feature page will describe the information available to you. If you need information or services beyond what is available to you on-line, please call your clinic. If you need a complete copy of your medical record, please contact UTMB Health Information Management at (409) 772-1965 for information about the Release of Information process.

• Why are there fewer items under my “Past Visits?”

  Beginning August 2022, UTMB changed what is listed under “Past Visits.” MyChart patient messages and medication refill requests were previously listed under the visits tab and were redundant; the information is available in other areas in MyChart. To avoid confusion, reduce clutter and enhance clarity, these messages are now being excluded from the “Past Visits” summary but remain online, available under the medication and messaging areas.

• If some of my health information on MyChart is not correct, what should I do?

  Your MyChart information comes directly from your UTMB Health electronic medical record. No information is stored in MyChart. When viewing information within MyChart you may notice information this is missing or incorrect. If this occurs, please report it to clinical staff or your provider, by sending a MyChart secure message or at your next clinic visit. The information will display in MyChart once your medical record has been updated.

• Who am I able to send a MyChart medical advice message to?

  You may only communicate with established providers via MyChart. Therefore, you will find the names of all providers you have seen in the past 24 months, and may send any of them a message. A provider's name will automatically drop off of your list when more than 24 months have passed since your last clinic visit. You may always send a message to the MyChart Nurse, who will be happy to assist.

• If I send a message to my clinic care team, when can I expect a reply?

  You may send non-urgent messages to clinics where you have been seen in the past two years. Clinical staff or your provider will reply to your message. Please allow 2 business days for a response. These days may be extended by UTMB recognized holiday closures.

  MyChart is not for urgent needs. Never use it in an emergency. If you experience a life threatening emergency, call 9-1-1. If your need is urgent and requires an immediate response, call your clinic instead of sending a message.

• Should I use MyChart to let my doctor know I am in terrible pain?

  In the event of urgent medical concerns, please do not use MyChart. Please call the clinic to speak with a clinical staff person. If you have any of the following symptoms, you should seek immediate medical attention by calling 9-1-1.

  • Signs of a heart attack
  • Signs of a stroke
  • Bleeding that won't stop
  • Poisoning, drug overdose, or severe reaction to medication
  • Choking or trouble breathing
  • Coughing up or vomiting blood
  • Sudden, severe pain
  • Suicidal thoughts or behavior
  • Broken bones, bad burns and other serious injuries
  • Seizure or fainting; lack of consciousness
  • High fever that won't come down
  • Severe vomiting or diarrhea
  • Severe or worsening reaction to insect, snake or spider bite

• Are Secure Messages confidential?

  Messages you send will route first to your provider's clinical staff. A clinical staff person will either complete your request or forward on to your provider for resolution, based on the subject matter of your message.

  In the course of your care, it is not uncommon that UTMB staff involved in your care may access your medical information. Strict UTMB policies and processes are in place to assure the protection of our patients' personal health information against unlawful access, including the ability to identify the occurrence and the violator.

• When can I see my test results in MyChart?

  We at UTMB Health know you may be eager to access your test results, so your results are released automatically by our system as soon as they are available. You have the option of viewing your results when you choose, even before your doctor in some cases. If you have questions or concerns about a result, please allow your provider 48 hours to review the results and respond to you. If you have not received communication from your provider after 48 hours, send a secure message to discuss your concerns and a plan of care. Your provider will be notified of any critical lab values and will contact you immediately. No need to worry!

  Not all studies are completed in the electronic medical record therefore these results will not be available in MyChart. These reports will be available to you by telephone or U.S. mail.

  Labs resulted during your inpatient stay will be released 24 hours after being sent to your provider.

• How can I find out what my lab tests mean so I understand what I am reading?

  While in MyChart on your test result page, click on the link About This Test. This will take you to health information options, from which you may select your specific lab result to read more detail. You may also try searching with an internet search engine like Google.

  Processing labs often have their own unique name for a lab test, so you may not be able to search and find information on a particular test. In that event, send a secure message to your clinic team with a request for further explanation of the specific lab test and the meaning of the results.

• Can I schedule and manage my UTMB clinic appointments on MyChart?

  Log in to MyChart and open your Appointment menu. To schedule an appointment, select your provider or reason for visit and follow the steps to schedule and appointment. Sometimes an appointment cannot be directly scheduled and you will be prompted to send a message requesting an appointment.

  Review the list of your Upcoming Appointments. If you need to change the date and time of a scheduled appointment, select the appointment and Cancel it. Then request a new appointment to replace the canceled. There is no reschedule feature in MyChart; only request and cancel.

• What is PreCheck-In?

  PreCheck-In is an activity within an upcoming appointment that saves you time by allowing you to complete check-in steps in the privacy of your own home. By completing these tasks prior to arriving for your appointment, you will not need to complete them when you arrive for your scheduled appointment at the clinic.

  With PreCheck-In, you can:

  • Verify / Update Demographics
  • Verify / Update Insurance
  • Verify / Update Medications
  • Verify / Update Allergies
  • Verify / Update Current Health Issues
  • Complete any Questionnaires that may have been sent

  New PreCheck-In features coming soon to a clinic near you:

  • E-Sign Consents Forms
  • Pay your Visit Co-Pay

  Please note that you will still need to go to the front desk when you arrive for your appointment to let the clinic staff know that you have arrived and to complete any additional check-in steps that may be required.

myChart FAQs

• Can I access another person's MyChart account to help manage their healthcare?

  Family Access, also known as proxy, allows a person to access data in another person's medical record. This may be a child, spouse, parent, or other person for whom you are caring.

  The subject is the person whose chart is being accessed. The delegate is the person who wants access to the chart. The subject must give permission for the delegate to have Family "Proxy" Access. No one should ever access another person's MyChart account unless it has been linked to their own through family "proxy" access. To request family "proxy" access, from the MyChart homepage click on the "Access someone else's MyChart" link and follow the instructions under the "I want access to someone else's MyChart" section.

• Do I need my own MyChart account in order to access someone else's?

  Yes! You will need to create your own MyChart account and then after logging in, will find individual folder tabs linking you to your family members' accounts. If you are not a patient at UTMB, you may request a Non-Patient MyChart account that will specifically allow you proxy access to another's account. You can only access someone else's account through your own MyChart account.

• Are there age requirements for family "proxy" access?

  Only adults 18 years and older may have a MyChart account that allows proxy access to another’s account. Children under 14 years old may not use MyChart, but their parents may access the child's medical record using MyChart family "proxy" access. Only the biological parents and legal guardians appointed by court final order may have access to a minor child's account. Note: Proxy access to a teen is limited a day before the proxy turns 14 years old. Refer to the section “Why can’t I see my teenager’s health information in MyChart? I could previously” for more information.

  This is called Proxy access and allows a parent (or conservator/guardian appointed by court final order) to log into their personal MyChart account, and then connect to information regarding their family member. Use the following link to complete a Proxy Consent Form to request access to this convenient service Proxy registration. 

• What information is available when accessing another person's account?

  When accessing accounts for children ages 0-13, or adults age 18 or older all MyChart standard features are available. These include:

  • Test results
  • Medications
  • Allergies
  • Immunizations
  • Preventive care
  • Health issues
  • Secure messaging with clinic staff where the patient receives care.
  • Appointments- Requests, future, past and cancellation
  • Billing
  • Demographics

  When accessing accounts for children ages 14-17, the access is restricted as follows:

  Available features:
  Immunizations, preventive care, secure messaging, appointment requesting, billing and demographics.

  Not Available:
  Test results, medications, allergies, health issues, past appointments, letters.

• Why can't I see my teenager's health information in MyChart? I could previously.

  The privacy of adolescents is protected under State of Texas family law and therefore access to portions of the adolescent child's medical information is not available in MyChart. This partial access becomes effective on the child's 14th birthday. At age 18 all family access is terminated and the adult child subject must give permission for the parent to have access to the record by submitting a MyChart Family Access Request form. The parent will then receive family access with full adult view to the adult child's chart. From ages 14-17, the parent may contact the Health Information Management (HIM) Department at (409) 772-1965 to request the release of medical records (protected health information) no longer accessible via MyChart.

• My child has special needs which requires that I have access to all medical information in MyChart to manage their healthcare. How do I request this?

  If your minor child has documented special needs, there are two ways that you can request this access.

  1. If you have a MyChart account, login to your MyChart account. Once logged in, hover over Preferences and select Request Minor Access. In the "This minor is your" field, choose Special Needs Minor.
  2. If you do not have a MyChart account, you can request Adult-Special Needs Minor access through the online MyChart Family Access Request form. The online form can be found here.

  The request and your minor's medical record will be reviewed by a pediatrician and will be granted if documentation supports full access to the minor's medical information based on the minor's needs, regardless of age. When the minor child reaches age 18, family access is automatically terminated.

• Do I have to be a UTMB patient to receive family access?

  Non UTMB patients will receive instructions for activating a non-patient MyChart account. Since the delegate is not a UTMB patient, only the links to the UTMB patient records being accessed will be available in the non-patient account.

• Can I access the MyChart account of a deceased patient?

  When a patient is deceased, their MyChart account is automatically deactivated and all proxy access to the patient is expired. If you have a need to access health information on a deceased patient, please contact UTMB Health Information Management at (409) 772-1965 for information about the Release of Information process.

• How can I find help when health issues give rise to new resource needs?

  MyChart includes a search feature for finding a broad range of local resources, like food pantries, transportation help and support groups. FindHelp - Social Services & Resources.

myChart FAQs

• Can I pay my UTMB medical bills with an e-check in MyChart?

  Only credit card payments may be made in MyChart to pay using an e-check, visit UTMB Health Web Pay and select e-check as the payment type. You will also find a link to UTMB Health Web Pay at the top of the Account Payment page within MyChart.

• Is it safe to use my Credit Card on the MyChart website?

  Yes. Credit card information is never stored on the MyChart site. You will be asked for your credit card each time you pay a bill in MyChart.

• Can I pay my family's bills UTMB medical bills through MyChart too?

  Yes, but you must first have family access to your family members' MyChart accounts before you can pay their bills. If you do not already have family access, complete and submit a MyChart Family Access Request form.

• Do I call MyChart Support if I have questions about my bill?

  No, for questions related to your bill you should contact Billing Office Customer Service at 409-771-8811 or 1-800-994-0363. While in MyChart, you may send a question directly to Billing Customer Service by clicking the link at the top of Billing Account Detail page, or by selecting Ask Customer Service from the Message Center menu on the left of the screen. Choose "Billing Inquiry" for the 'Regarding' field.

• Uploading Insurance Card Photos

  The easiest way to upload photos of your insurance card is through the MyChart mobile app or by logging into MyChart from a device with a camera. If this is not an option, please have pictures or scans of the front and back of your insurance card readily available on your computer.

  

  MyChart App

  1. Login to UTMB Health MyChart from the MyChart mobile app.
  2. Select Insurance Summary in the menu.
  3. Find your current insurance and tap Add insurance card photos.
  4. Follow the prompts to upload images of the front and back of your insurance card, and then tap Submit.
  5. Once complete, you can review the front and back of your insurance card under Insurance Summary.

  

  MyChart Web

  1. Make sure photos of the front and back of your insurance card are saved on your computer.
  2. Select Insurance Activity in the left-hand navigational menu.
  3. Find your current insurance and click Add insurance card photos.
  4. Follow the prompts to upload images of the front and back of your insurance card, and then click Submit.
  5. Once complete, you can review the front and back of your insurance card under Insurance Summary.

myChart FAQs

• I forgot my password. What should I do?

  Contact the MyChart Support Line at 409-77-CHART (409-772-4278), for password assistance 24/7.

• Where can I update my personal information?

  Log into your MyChart account and from the left menu select Preferences and make the changes desired. From Preferences you can update your address, your insurance information, your PCP, and your email address and change your password.

• I left my computer while I was writing a message and my computer logged me out of MyChart. Is all my work lost?

  If you remain logged into the system with no keyboard activity for more than 20 minutes, MyChart will automatically log you out. This is done to protect your personal health information from being viewed on an unattended computer by anyone other than you. We recommend you complete your task and log out of MyChart before leaving your computer for even a short period of time.

• I am not getting email notifications for new labs or messages. What should I do to receive the alerts?

  Verify that the email we have on file for you is correct. Log in to your MyChart account and from the menus on the left click on Administrative. 'Demographics' lists your personal information on file in your medical record. Review the information and if the email address is old or incorrect, click on Change Email Address and provide your correct, current email. If your email address is correct, add No.Reply@utmb.edu to your email contact list to prevent emails from being blocked or routed to our spam folder.

• Activating Text/SMS notifications

  Email notifications of MyChart activity are enabled by default.

  To enable text/SMS notifications, login to MyChart and access your “Communication Preferences.” Once in the section:

  1. Step 1: Ensure your account has text/SMS communication enabled. If you see the banner below in the Communication Preferences activity, click on the "Sign up now" link to activate the text/SMS communication feature. If you do not see the banner you may proceed to step 2.
     
  2. Step 2: Click the message icons in the “Text” column so that they are filled in.
  3. Step 3: Save your changes before leaving the page by clicking the save button at the bottom of the screen.

  Note: Not all communication types are available for text/SMS messaging at this time, but more will be added in the future.

  Screenshot with the text/SMS notification options enabled:

  

myChart FAQs

• Is MyChart compatible with all browsers?

  UTMB Health MyChart requires the use of a modern web browser. Any browser that does not support the current privacy standard (TLS 1.2) is not able to access MyChart (This affects all versions of Internet Explorer). Please ensure that you have an updated, modern web browser such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Opera or Mozilla Firefox. 

• I am not receiving text/SMS notifications

  If you are not receiving SMS notifications of MyChart events, follow these steps:

  1. Ensure you have opted into text/SMS notifications and have activated the SMS notifications for every applicable event, under your “Communication Preferences.” Follow the directions in the "Activating SMS Notifications" section.
  2. If you’ve completed step 1 and are still not receiving text/SMS notifications:
     1. You may have previously opted-out of receiving text messages from UTMB with the SMS provider. To opt-in to SMS messages, text "unstop" to 1-888-212-3048. (There is no harm completing this step, even if you are already opted in.)
     2. You will receive a confirmation text message from UTMB indicating that you have opted-in to text/SMS communication.

• Requirements to use the MyChart App

  You may download the MyChart App from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store on any compatible smart device to access your UTMB Health MyChart account.

  Note: The security and integrity of your information is important to us. In order to access your MyChart account with the app, you must be able to use MyChart App version 10.1.4 or newer. On Apple (iOS) devices, the MyChart app requires iOS version 14, which Apple no longer supports for iPhones 6 and earlier models, or 4th generation iPads and earlier models. To access your MyChart account on one of these older devices, please use your mobile web browser, such as Safari, or a browser on a desktop PC or Mac. The link to login via browser is https://mychart.utmb.edu/.

  After Aug. 9, 2022, if you attempt to login with an older, unsupported version of the MyChart app, you will receive a notification alerting you to update the app.