UT Southwestern MyChart

MyChart messaging should be used to follow up on a recent visit you had with your provider, minor medical issues, or simple questions. For example, you can ask about a medicine you are taking.

MyChart messaging should not be used for new health concerns that you have not previously discussed with your provider or complicated concerns that involve multiple medical issues. These kinds of concerns require a longer talk and are best handled during a clinic or video visit. If you have new or complex concerns, please make an appointment with your provider.

MyChart should not be used to communicate emergent or urgent matters. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 911 for medical attention.

Our care teams work hard to respond to MyChart messages in a timely manner, but immediate replies are not guaranteed. Because of this, MyChart messaging should not be used to communicate urgent concerns, such as severe or sudden changes in chronic conditions, or time-sensitive questions about medication. In these situations, please call your clinic to schedule an appointment or talk to a member of your care team.

Your message will be reviewed by a member of your care team who works closely with your provider. To help us respond more effectively, please keep your message clear and brief.

It is not necessary to send multiple messages about the same issue or to send thank-you notes, as all messages become part of your medical record.

Most test results are automatically released to you as soon as they available from the lab, which means your provider may not have reviewed them yet. Please allow up to three business days for your provider to review your results and to send you comments if needed. Your provider will contact you promptly if your test results require immediate attention.

To encourage clear, concise communication about your question or concern and allow your care team to respond efficiently, MyChart messages are limited to 1,500 characters. If your concern needs more explanation, it may be too complex for MyChart and should be discussed during a clinic visit.

UT Southwestern outpatient clinics receive about 6,000 MyChart messages from patients daily. While our care teams work hard to respond to messages quickly, please allow up to three business days for a reply. For example, a message sent to the clinic on Friday evening may not be answered until Wednesday. Our care teams monitor messages during business hours, but not on nights, weekends, or holidays.

Many MyChart messages with your care team are free. Effective Aug. 1, if your response requires medical expertise and takes more than 5 minutes of your provider’s time, it may be billed to your insurance.

MyChart messages that involve medical advice often require considerable provider time, including reviewing your chart, checking medications, planning care, ordering additional tests, and documenting treatment recommendations. Billing for this time allows providers to give more thoughtful and detailed responses to create care plans. It also helps offer care without needing an office visit when appropriate. In recent years, billing for MyChart messages has become a common practice and industry standard across many health systems nationwide.

Examples of MyChart message topics that will not be billed:

• Questions about a visit that occurred in the last 7 days
• Follow-up on a MyChart message that was addressed and billed in the last 7 days
• Scheduling an appointment
• Billing questions
• Lab or imaging results related to a recent visit
• Medical updates for your provider that do not require a response
• Messages that take less than 5 minutes to answer
• Medication refills
• Follow-up care for a recent surgery

Examples of MyChart message topics that may be billed when they necessitate more than 5 minutes of your provider’s time:

• A new medical concern
• Reports of new symptoms
• Changes to your medications
• Long-term condition check-ins or management
• Requests to complete medical form
• Requests for a new referral

Most messages are free. However, if your message needs medical expertise and takes more than 5 minutes of your provider’s time, it may be billed to your insurance.

Even if a message is billed, some patients will not have to pay anything. If you do owe something, the out-of-pocket cost depends on your insurance plan and is often low. The most anyone will be charged for a MyChart message is $50, even if insurance does not cover it.

We will send any charges to your insurance on file first. If applicable, you may get a bill, similar to other medical services.

If your provider’s response to your MyChart message is billed, you will receive a notification letting you know. The message will include a link to the provider’s response and a summary in MyChart.

MyChart is your personal on-line health resource that allows you to communicate with your healthcare providers, request appointments and prescription renewals, and access portions of your UT Southwestern electronic medical record using an encrypted, secure internet connection.

All patients who are at least 18 years of age and and under the care of a UT Southwestern provider will be enrolled in MyChart.

All new patients (18 years and older) to UT Southwestern will be automatically enrolled. If you are a patient and currently not using MyChart but wish to, simple contact your provider's clinic and they will enroll you.

Please call the MyChart HelpLine during normal business hours at 214-648-8888 if you have any questions about your MyChart account that are not addressed here. Please remember that MyChart is a tool to enhance your health care experience at UT Southwestern. If you have an urgent matter or question about your health condition, always contact your UT Southwestern clinic directly by telephone.

No, your activation code is not your MyChart Username or password. You will use this code only once to log into MyChart for the first time. (The code will expire after you have used it or after 60 days). During your first MyChart session, you will create your own unique MyChart Username and password.

If you would like to use a third party application (app) to access and import your Health Information, UT Southwestern Medical Center gives you the ability to share your information. You must have an active MyChart account because the security you set – user name and password – is your authentication for MyChart to share designated information with the app.

Your test results are released to your MyChart account 2-4 days after they are finalized.

Test results of a very sensitive nature are not automatically released through MyChart. Results of unreleased tests will be communicated to you by your ordering provider. There are a number of tests whose results are stored in ancillary systems, which cannot be displayed through MyChart. You will have to contact your provider's office for those results.

Your MyChart information comes directly from your electronic medical record at your doctor's office. Ask your doctor to correct any inaccurate information at your next clinic visit. Your health information is reviewed and updated in your electronic medical record each visit. Patients can also request to amendments to their medical record by contacting the UT Southwestern Health Information Management Office at 214-645-3030.

If you have lost your activation code, did not receive it or let it expire, contact the MyChart HelpLine during normal business hours at 214-648-8888 for assistance in obtaining a new activation code.

Yes, you can. Please keep your password confidential, and do not share it with anyone else. You can change your password online at any time by logging into MyChart and selecting the "Change password" option under the My Account section. Your password is not known by anyone at UT Southwestern.

At the sign-in screen for MyChart click “Forgot password”. You will be asked for some information and then the password “hint” you created while enrolling will be emailed to you.

Make sure your Caps Lock key is not on. The password field is case sensitive. Make sure you do not enter extra spaces in either the MyChart ID or password boxes and try again. If you have forgotten your MyChart ID or password, click on the “Forgot Username?” or “Forgot Password?” link and fill in the form.

Sign onto MyChart and go to the My Account section, then click "Change Demographics". Be sure that your email address has been accurately entered. Make any changes needed, then click the "Accept Changes" button.

Log into MyChart and from the left menu, go to the My Account section and select the appropriate option.

Once you are logged into MyChart, select the Menu option and scroll down until you see the Account Settings section. Communication Preferences will be listed underneath for you to select. Once clicked, you can select the types of alerts and reminders you want to receive as well as how you receive them. 

Your MyChart personal health information is carried over a secure, encrypted connection. This secure connection utilizes industry standard Secure Socket Layer (SSL) 128-bit encryption as well as server-side digital certificate authentication to ensure secure data transmission between you and UT Southwestern. To prohibit unauthorized access, all medical information is stored safely behind our firewall in our electronic medical record system.

The UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas has in place detailed policies and procedures regarding access to all medical records by our staff and employees and has carefully outlined the circumstances under which your medical information may be released to parties outside the organization. These policies conform to state and federal law and are designed to safeguard your privacy.

MyChart wants to protect your privacy. While logged into MyChart, if your keyboard remains idle for 15 minutes or more, you will be automatically logged out of MyChart. Any information you have typed will be lost. We recommend that you log out of your MyChart session if you need to leave your computer.

PC, Mac, or WebTV

Supported Browsers:

• Internet Explorer 10.0, 9.0, 8.0
• Firefox 24.x and above
• Safari 5.x on Mac/Windows
• Google Chrome 30.x and above
• Session Cookies enabled

Optional Features:

• Javascript enabled (highly recommended)
• 128-bit SSL capability (for secure messaging)

For your security, your access code expires after 60 days and is no longer valid after the first time you use it. If you allow yours to expire, contact the MyChart HelpLine during normal business hours at 214-648-8888 for assistance in obtaining a new activation code.