Clinicians write notes in your electronic medical record (EMR) about your health care visits that can help you:
- Take more control of your health
- Revisit and remember the details of your visits
- Remind yourself why and how to take your medications
- Gain insight into your clinician’s thinking
- Prevent harm by catching possible mistakes
- Review next steps and what to look into
- Share your notes with family, friends, and other caregivers
Studies show that most patients remember less than half of what they discuss with their provider. To make sure you don’t miss important information, sharing notes gives you the opportunity to review the details of your visit at any time. Above all, sharing notes helps you make sure that you and your health care team are always on the same page.
Patients who read their notes:
Are able to recall their care plan better
- Take better care of themselves
- Do a better job at taking medications as prescribed
- Feel more in control of their care
- Understand their health and medical conditions better
Provider Notes
Where do I find provider notes in my electronic medical record?
If you are a patient or guardian of a child under the age of 12 with a MyChart account, you will find notes from your child’s visit in the Past Visits section of the Visit tab within MyChart. To view the notes, click the View Notes hyperlink.
Parents of teenagers (12 years and older) will not be able to see their notes due to complex teen privacy laws.
Notes may be updated as new information is received or, in the case of residents or fellows, if the attending provider adds additional information or provides revisions to notes written by a resident/fellow.
Can I see notes in my MyChart Mobile App?
Yes, notes and results can be seen in MyChart on your computer or in the MyChart mobile app.
Who writes the notes and when are they released?
You can now view notes that were written by your provider (Doctor, Resident, Fellow, Advanced Practice Provider) during your visit. Notes will be available when your provider completes their documentation. Patients admitted to the hospital will be able to see the notes in MyChart after being discharged from the hospital.
What is included in the notes?
It is important to understand that notes are written in a way for your doctor and other health professionals on your care team to quickly understand your current medical condition. Because of this, the language may be abbreviated. Contact your provider if you have a question about information that is included in the notes. If you find the note difficult to understand because there are unfamiliar terms or abbreviations, Medline Plus is a good resource to help you better understand your condition or medical terms.
Who do I contact if I have a question about a specific note?
You should contact your/your child’s provider for any questions about a specific note.
What should I do if I find an error?
If an error is found, please contact Akron Children’s Health Information Department by e-mail at records@akronchildrens.org, fax at 330-543-5360 or phone at 330-543-8552.
Are there notes that are excluded from release to the EMR?
Certain notes, as allowed by regulations, may be excluded from release. Parents of teenagers (12 years and older) will not be able to see their notes due to complex teen privacy laws.
Test Results
Where do I find my test results?
Test results can be found in the Test Results section in MyChart. Any new results will be bolded so you can easily find the results that have not been viewed.
When are they released?
Results are released at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Some results may require review by a provider before they are released to MyChart. Other, more sensitive test results (such as biopsies and imaging) are released after a short delay.
Akron Children’s is committed to providing timely access to your health information. This means you may receive test results before your provider has reviewed them.
Your test results could include sensitive information. Examples include results related to a cancer diagnosis, genetic testing or a baby’s sex in a fetal ultrasound. If you are not comfortable seeing this information before you have discussed results with your provider, please wait to review them.
Are there any results that are excluded?
Results are all available for release, but some may require a provider to review and manually release them before they are seen in MyChart.
