Online Doctor Portal Setup
See your lab results, message your doctor, and book appointments online. Pick the portal your hospital uses, then follow the steps.
Which portal does your hospital use?
Not sure? Ask the front desk at your next visit, check your after-visit summary paperwork, or call the medical records office.
Who uses it: Used by most major US hospitals — Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Kaiser, UCLA Health, NYU Langone, Mayo Clinic, and many more. If your hospital uses Epic, this is your portal.
How to sign up
- 1.Ask the front desk at your last visit for an "activation code" — or look on your visit summary paperwork.
- 2.Go to mychart.org or download the "MyChart" app from the App Store or Play Store.
- 3.Tap "Sign Up Now" and enter your activation code, date of birth, and Social Security number (last 4).
- 4.Pick a username and password. Write them down somewhere safe at home.
- 5.Add your hospital or clinic — search by name, then tap "Connect".
What you can do once you are signed in
- •See lab results the moment your doctor releases them.
- •Send a message to your doctor or nurse — replies usually come within 1-2 business days.
- •Request prescription refills without calling the office.
- •Schedule, reschedule, or cancel appointments online.
- •Pay your bill and see itemized charges.
- •Link family members (spouse, adult child) with "proxy access" so they can help manage care.
Worth knowing
- •One MyChart login can connect to many hospitals at once. If you see doctors at two health systems that both use Epic, link them both.
- •Lab results sometimes appear before your doctor has reviewed them. Do not panic at numbers in red — wait for the doctor message.
Watch out: fake "your medical records are ready" emails
Scammers send emails that look like portal alerts — "Your test results are ready, click here to view." The link goes to a fake page that steals your password. A real portal email will NOT have urgent threats, will NOT ask for your Social Security number by email, and will NOT include attachments. When in doubt, do not click the email link. Open the portal app or type the web address yourself, then sign in to check.
Five habits that make portals work for you
- •Save your portal password in a notebook at home, not on a sticky note on the computer.
- •Turn on two-step verification (a code by text) — most portals offer it under Account Settings.
- •Add the portal app to your phone home screen for one-tap access.
- •Set up "proxy access" so a trusted family member can help you read messages and book appointments.
- •Read messages from your doctor in the portal, not in email — email previews can leak private health info.
Sending your first message to a doctor
- 1.Open the portal app and tap "Messages".
- 2.Tap "New Message" and pick the doctor or nurse from the list.
- 3.Write a short, clear question — one topic per message. Example: "My blood pressure has been 150/90 every morning for a week. Should I come in?"
- 4.Tap Send. Most replies come within 1-2 business days. For anything urgent, call the office instead.
- 5.Never use a portal message for an emergency. Chest pain, trouble breathing, signs of stroke — call 911.