MyChart Messaging

What to use MyChart messaging for

Messaging through MyChart is a convenient way to communicate with your health care team for non-urgent medical needs. Your providers and clinical care team members work closely to provide you with the best care and services. All members of the care team can read and respond to your MyChart messages.

Since we began offering this easy way to communicate directly and securely with your health care team, the response has been overwhelming — literally. As the volume of messages continues to grow, please help us make sure this service continues to work well for everyone.

When sending messages, please keep the following in mind:

• The turnaround time for responses to messages is up to five business days. Our busy care teams are doing their best to reply to your messages as quickly as possible between patient appointments and after clinic hours.
• Don’t use MyChart for urgent or time-sensitive issues.
• Do use it to follow up on test results from your provider, or to send brief up­dates on ongoing medical problems and how you’re responding to treatments.
• Your MyChart messages go to your whole care team, which includes your providers as well as medical assistants, nurses and pharmacists. There’s no need to send duplicate messages to your different providers. Your message may filter through several hands before a member of your team responds.
• New problems, conditions, or symptoms reported in a MyChart message exchange may result in an e-visit charge or your health care team may request you schedule an appointment to discuss these concerns.
• Please keep messages short, including a clear statement or question about what you need (e.g., an appointment or an update on medications).

Messaging billed as an e-visit

Some MyChart messages are more complex than others and may qualify as a billable medical service. Care delivered as an e-visit through MyChart messaging, where the response requires an in-depth response and/or medical decision making from a provider, may be billed to a patient’s insurance. Your provider will determine whether a message exchange on MyChart should be billed. We will bill your insurance on your behalf. Coverage for care delivered through the portal varies by insurance policy. The maximum out-of-pocket cost is $50, for insured and uninsured patients.

Examples of messages that will be billed:

• Changes to your medications
• New prescriptions
• Making a clinical assessment
• New symptoms not previously discussed with your provider in the past seven days

Please note: If you need an immediate response, or if your concern requires that you exceed the character limit for a MyChart message, please call the clinic directly or schedule an appointment.

We’re pleased to provide MyChart messaging as one of several ways you can receive care from your health care team.