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Sentara MyChart Terms and Conditions

Your Doctor and Sentara Healthcare are pleased to offer you MyChart.
MyChart is an online service that provides you with convenient access to your medical record. It also offers a method of online communication with your physician and practice staff for such activities as prescription renewals, direct appointment scheduling and online messaging.


We think that it is important for you to know how we manage information within MyChart. This Terms & Conditions Statement outlines our practices and sensitivity to your right to privacy. We reserve the right to revoke access to this service at any time.


Definitions:


    1. “Parent” means an individual with biological or adoptive rights to a child.
    2. “Legal Guardian” means an adult person appointed by a state court to be responsible for the personal affairs of either an incapacitated adult or a minor. This person must have a court order outlining their responsibilities as a guardian.
    3. “Proxy” as it used here means a person granted the authority to access the medical information of another person in order to help manage the care of that person.
    4. “Medical Record” means the documents under Sentara's control, whether paper or electronic, that chronologically explain the details of a patient’s history, clinical findings, diagnostic test results, pre and postoperative care, patient’s progress and medication.
    5. “MyChart” as it is used here means the electronic patient portal products, web and mobile, that Sentara licenses from Epic Systems Corporation and maintains for patients.

    TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE FOR ALL AGE GROUPS


    The use of MyChart requires your agreement with the following conditions:


    Disclaimer


    MyChart does not contain your complete medical record. If you would like to see your complete medical record, you may request a copy in the following ways:


    We try our best to make sure that MyChart is always working properly, but there may be times when the system is unavailable. We are not to blame for any problems that may occur from being unable to see your information via MyChart.

    These terms and conditions may be changed by Sentara at any time. When they are changed, you will be asked to accept or decline the updated terms and conditions when you sign in.

    If you have questions or problems with MyChart we encourage you to contact us in one of the following ways:



    MyChart Messages

    We will try our best to respond to all messages within 1-2 business days. In some cases, the clinical staff that need to respond to an electronic inquiry or other communication may not be immediately available. Therefore, a patient should allow at least two (2) business days for a response.

    Emergency situations requiring immediate attention should not be submitted electronically. MyChart is not for emergency care and treatment. If you have a potentially life-threatening emergency, call 911.

    All messages sent through MyChart will be added to your medical record. You must log in to MyChart to see any messages from your health center. No medical information will be sent to your email address. Messages you send to your medical provider(s) may be handled by your clinical care team and other staff as needed to support Sentara’s patient portals.

    It is important to be clear and concise in any messages sent to a provider via MyChart so as to avoid any misinterpretation. If insufficient or unclear information is provided, we will be unable to provide accurate and reliable services and may return your message for clarity or ask you to communicate with us using other forms of communication such as a telephone call, a telehealth visit or an in-person appointment.


    E-mail Notifications and Privacy

    MyChart users are given the option to receive email notifications when new information is available in MyChart. These notifications are intended to prompt the MyChart user to check their MyChart account and do not include any detailed medical information. If a MyChart user provides an email address that can be viewed or accessed by others, the MyChart user should be aware that the notifications sent to their email address can be seen by those individuals.

    For example, if a MyChart user asks that MyChart send notifications to their employee email address, the employer would be able to see the notification letting the MyChart user know they have new information available. MyChart users should consider this when providing an e-mail address.

    Please know that emails you send to Sentara, and the email address you have on file at Sentara, may be shared with your clinical care team, billing teams, or other staff as deemed appropriate by Sentara.


    Security, Confidentiality, and Privacy

    We make every effort to ensure the privacy, confidentiality, integrity and availability of your information in Sentara’s MyChart portal(s). We have taken steps to make all information received from our online visitors as secure as possible against unauthorized access and use.

    We afford the same degree of confidentiality to your information stored on MyChart as is given to your information stored by Sentara in any other medium. Firewalls, passwords, encryption and role-based access controls are some of the ways that we safeguard your information.

    Your MyChart username and password are unique to you. Usernames and passwords are stored in a secure manner by Sentara. We will not share them with anyone. If you choose to share your MyChart username and password with someone else, they will be able to access all the information in your MyChart account. As a MyChart user, you can help maintain the security of the information in your MyChart account by 1) Changing your password on a regular basis 2) Keeping your username and password confidential and 3) Using unique passwords that are not easily guessed by someone else.

    Your ability to sign into your account with your username and password will be automatically blocked after a certain number of failed attempts to access the secure portion of the MyChart portal(s).

    An additional step you can take is to ensure you are accessing MyChart securely. You can tell when you are secure by looking at the location (URL) field. If the URL begins with https:// (instead of http://), the document comes from a secure server. This means your data cannot be read or deciphered by unauthorized individuals. You can tell whether you are truly connected to Sentara by viewing the digital certificate. This certificate verifies the connection between the Sentara server's public key and the server's identification.

    For additional information about the ways Sentara may use or disclose your protected health information, please see the Sentara Notice of Privacy Practices (located at https://www.sentara.com/Policies-and-Agreements/Sentara-Integrated-Notice-of-Privacy-Practices).


    Personal/Medical Information Notice

    Sentara may contact you via email or your phone number, as needed, in order to help us provide care for you. However, if you are concerned that the communications you are receiving from Sentara are faked or malicious, please contact us through either of the following ways:



    Website Links

    MyChart may offer links to related medical Web sites not managed by Sentara. These Web site link(s) are for informational purposes only. Sentara does not endorse and has not verified the accuracy of the information in/on these Web sites, and the patient should not rely on any of the information found on the Web sites for purposes of treatment or diagnosis.

    Deactivation

    Your Sentara MyChart account may be deactivated due to certain terms and conditions at the discretion of Sentara. The following is a list of reasons which will result in deactivation. The list is not inclusive, and each circumstance will be evaluated individually.


      1. A parent/guardian’s access to a child’s MyChart account will automatically deactivate when the child reaches the age of 14.
      2. Inappropriate use of messaging or scheduling, which includes but is not limited to:
        1. overuse of messaging
        2. inappropriate content
        3. threats, intimidation, and/or cursing
      3. Abuse of proxy access.
      4. Pending legal issues with patient or direct family that alters a person’s rights to see their family member’s records
        1. Example: child abuse cases
      5. Poor response to training
        1. Inability to use features without constant assistance

    TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE FOR ADULTS (AGE 18 AND OVER)


    The use of MyChart requires your agreement with the following conditions (in addition to the conditions specified for all age groups):

    Age Restrictions

    An individual must be age 18 or older to request a personal account. Parents or guardians of minor children may request access to their minor child's account by following the terms outlined in the "MyChart Proxy Access Overview" section of this document.

    TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE FOR MINORS AGE 14 TO 17

    The use of MyChart requires your agreement with the following conditions (in addition to the conditions specified for all age groups):

    Age Restrictions

    Parents/guardians may have access to their minor child’s MyChart account up until the child turns 14 years old. When a minor patient reaches age 14, the parent/guardian will not be able to access the child’s MyChart account without the child’s authorization. Under State laws, there are certain types of medical information that the parent or guardian of a minor patient may not view without the consent of the minor patient. Because of these requirements, minors between the ages of 14-17 are given some control over their own MyChart accounts.

    With parental/legal guardian consent, minor children between the ages of 14 and 17 will be eligible to participate in the full spectrum of MyChart services. This consent allows the minor to have his/her own MyChart account.

    Minors may grant parents/legal guardians Proxy access to their MyChart account by following the terms outlined in the "MyChart Proxy Access Overview" section of this document.


    MyChart Proxy Access Overview

    Patients can use the proxy functionality in Sentara MyChart to access another individual’s medical information in order to help manage their care. Please review the sections below for more information.


    Proxy Access


      • MyChart users have the option to grant proxy access to another person.
      • Proxy relationships consist of two individuals. One of those individuals is the Patient whose medical records are being accessed. The other individual is the Proxy who will have access to the Patient’s medical information in order to help manage the care of the Patient. All medical information that is made available to you in MyChart may also be made available to your proxy if you grant proxy access to another individual.
      • If there is information in your medical record that you do not want your proxy to see, then you should not grant proxy access to another individual.
      • Please note that, by granting another individual proxy access to your account, you are also permitting Sentara Healthcare and your clinical care team to release medical information about you to your proxy.


    Sentara reserves the right to revoke (put an end to) proxy access at any time for any reason. If, at any time, you wish to revoke another individual’s proxy relationship that you have granted, you may do so by going to the “Friends and family access” section in the “Share My Record” feature and clicking “Revoke” for the relationship you wish to revoke.


    Proxy Access for Minors Ages 14-17

    Individuals age 14-17 may grant Proxy Access to their parent(s)/legal guardian(s) by completing the Proxy Access portion of the MyChart Proxy Form (located here), and submitting it to Sentara. If you are unable to print, sign, and bring the proxy access form (in person) to your practice, please contact your practice (or other Sentara facility, as appropriate) for assistance.


    Proxy access will only be granted to parties with parental rights or legal guardianship over the minor MyChart account holder. Sentara reserves the right to request documentation verifying the parent/guardian relationship before granting the access. A MyChart account will be activated for both the proxy and the account holder. If the proxy's legal relationship with the account holder changes, the account holder must inform us immediately by calling the practice for directions or sending written notice to the practice.


    Each parent or legal guardian of the minor must have their own MyChart account to establish the Proxy relationship. Proxy access to a minor’s account will automatically terminate once the minor turns eighteen (18). Proxy access can be revoked at any time by the minor. If the minor wants to provide proxy access to a legal guardian, the request must be accompanied by a copy of all legal documentation verifying the individual’s status as legal guardian.


    If a situation occurs where it is in the best interest of the minor, a parent/legal guardian may revoke consent to electronic medical record access. If this occurs, both the minor and the parent/legal guardian will lose their access to the minor's account.



    Proxy Access Request for Patients 18 and Over

    Individuals over the age of 18 may request that another adult individual be granted proxy access to their Sentara MyChart account. This is done by downloading and signing the MyChart Proxy Access form (located here), and bringing the completed proxy access form (in person) to your practice.


    Please note that both the patient and the person the patient is granting proxy access to will need to provide written consent on the MyChart Proxy Access Form. If you or your proxy are unable to print, sign, and bring the MyChart Proxy Access Form in person to your practice, please contact your practice (or other Sentara facility, as appropriate) for assistance.



    Proxy Access Request for Incapacitated or Incompetent Patients (Age 18+)

    Proxy access may be granted for the adult legal decision-maker for a patient if the patient is incapacitated or if the patient has been declared incompetent to make their own medical decisions. The decision maker may be a legal guardian, health care agent validly designated in a health care POA, or next of kin determined under applicable law.

    To request this proxy access, the decision-maker who is requesting the access must download and sign the MyChart Proxy Access form (located here), and bring the completed proxy access form (in person) to their practice. Please note that there are additional fields on the form that must be filled out for this specific type of proxy access request.

    Copies of all necessary legal documentation must be provided to the practice, along with the proxy access form, for patients that are incapacitated or incompetent. If you are unable to print, sign, and bring the proxy access form in person to your practice, please contact your practice (or other Sentara facility, as appropriate) for assistance.