21st Century Cures Act and MyChart Patient FAQ

Access to your healthcare record and results

The 21st Century Cures Act is a federal law designed to help patients quickly and easily access their electronic health information to make informed decisions about their care. The Cures Act requires health systems like ours to have the capability to release electronic health information, such as clinical notes and test results, to patients as soon as it becomes available.

Our efforts will promote transparency and ensure timelier, more convenient information access.

Almost everything in the electronic medical record, such as clinic notes, test results and medications, will automatically be shared with the patient through MyChart. Much of this information is already shared with patients. The difference is that patients may see some results before their provider or care team has the chance to review them. Patients also may see additional details about their visit.

If you’re a patient in one of our hospitals or clinics, test results and clinical notes will be released from your electronic health record to your personal MyChart account, if you have one.

After your provider reviews your results, you might see additional comments and interpretation in MyChart. Your provider will let you know if a follow-up visit or call is necessary. Also, if you don’t want your information released immediately, you have the option to request your provider review results with you first.

Clinic notes from visits and tests before Oct. 6, 2022, will not be released to MyChart. However, if your provider previously shared notes and test results with you through MyChart, you will still see those in your MyChart account.

Yes. The Cures Act doesn’t change anything about Ballad Health’s protocol for a parent’s or guardian’s access to their child’s health information on MyChart. Parents still need to complete a Child Proxy Request Form at their child’s physician’s office.

Several different methods are used by departments across the health system to help you sign up for your child’s MyChart access:

  • Clinic staff might sign you up directly while you’re at the front desk or in the exam room.
  • You might receive a MyChart activation code on your After Visit Summary or on a billing statement so you can sign up online.
  • You might receive a text message or an email containing an activation code when you come in for a visit.
  • You also might be able to use self-signup online to create a MyChart account by matching your information with what’s on file in your medical record or with third-party identity verification.

MyChart features are limited for adolescents ages 12 through 17. Under applicable laws, adolescents may obtain medical care without parental consent under certain circumstances, and consent from the adolescent may be required to release information related to that care to a parent. Due to technical limitations, Ballad Health is currently unable to separate information that would require the adolescent’s consent to release it to the parent from the adolescent’s other information in MyChart.

You may obtain any records of your adolescent child that you are legally entitled to by requesting those records another way. Please visit the Ballad Health website at https://www.balladhealth.org/my-medical-records for other ways to request records. If your adolescent child would not be able to consent to care under any circumstance, as verified by your child’s healthcare provider, continued access to all MyChart features is available.

You can visit the Ballad Health website at https://www.balladhealth.org/my-medical-records for other ways to request your records. However, we encourage you to sign up for a personal MyChart account to see your records, communicate with your provider and access other features to help you manage your health. Click here to learn more about MyChart.

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