Patient Resources

To Get Access to Your Child’s Chart

MyChart proxy access allows you to log into your personal MyChart account and view your child’s information.

Due to state and federal laws providing additional privacy rights for adolescents’ medical records, patients between 13 and 17 must sign an assent agreement granting permission for a parent to access their medical record. If a child 13 to 17 declines to sign the assent agreement, neither the patient nor the parent or primary caregiver can access the medical record using MyChart.

Parents and primary caregivers cannot have proxy access to a child’s record after he or she turns 18 unless:

They have proof of ongoing legal guardianship (as in cases of diminished capacity). Once proof of legal guardianship is provided and proxy access is granted, it will never again expire.
The adult patient completes the MyChart adult proxy access form to grant temporary proxy access to the parent or primary caregiver. Adult proxy access expires every 18 months and can only be renewed by the patient.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my family share a MyChart account?

No. To ensure the safety of your child’s information, patients cannot share an account with a parent and parents cannot share an account. Two parents who both wish to access their child’s information must each sign and submit a MyChart Consent Agreement and create an individual MyChart account. If the child is age 13 to 17, he or she can have a MyChart account also; you will all see the same information. See “How do I get MyChart proxy access” for more information. If your child is under 12, you can view the information in MyChart together (as appropriate) and use MyChart as an opportunity to involve your child in his or her care.

How do I get MyChart proxy access?

Patients 12 and under. A parent or primary caregiver must sign the Cincinnati Children’s MyChart Agreement before continuing with the MyChart proxy access process. Patients 12 and under cannot have their own MyChart account.
Patients 13 to 17. He or she must sign the Cincinnati Children’s assent form, granting at least one parent or primary caregiver proxy access before either the patient or parent can create a MyChart account. The patient is not required to have his or her own account; however, if a patient between 13-17 wishes to have an account, at least one parent or primary caregiver must have an account as well. The MyChart assent form automatically grants access to both mom and dad.
Patients 13 to 17 of diminished capacity. A physician must acknowledge diminished capacity before MyChart access is granted or re-activated. This is managed through our Health Information Management (HIM) Department at Cincinnati Children’s. Once acknowledged, a staff member from HIM will work with the parent/primary caregiver to continue the proxy access process.
Patients 18 and older. In cases of diminished capacity, parents with proof of ongoing legal guardianship can obtain MyChart proxy access. Adult patients can also grant temporary proxy access to other family members, such as parents, siblings or spouses.

What qualifies as proof of guardianship?

For MyChart, proof of guardianship (a legal document signed by a judge or magistrate) is required only for legal guardians of children over 18 to maintain access to MyChart records. In the case of a child over 18 with diminished capacity, legal documentation of the child’s status will be required. If you have questions about guardianship or the acceptable forms of proof, contact Health Information Management at 513-636-4217. Proof of legal guardianship must be submitted to Health Information Management in order to be scanned into the patient’s medical record. Paperwork may be submitted using fax (513-636-6729) or by completing the online request form and attaching the paperwork using the secure upload link for providing proof of identification.

May a foster parent access a foster child’s records in MyChart?

No, unfortunately. Access cannot be granted in temporary custody situations, so they can’t access MyChart for children in their care.

I have more than one child at Cincinnati Children’s. Can I view each child’s information through one account?

Yes. If you have more than one child who has been treated at Cincinnati Children’s, you may get proxy access to each child’s account. If you have children age 13-17, they each will need to sign a Cincinnati Children’s assent form to grant you proxy to their MyChart accounts.

What happens to proxy access when my child turns 13, and when my child turns 18?

When your child turns 13: Your proxy access expires. To ensure you both have ongoing access, your child must sign the Cincinnati Children’s assent form designating at least one parent or primary caregiver as his or her proxy.
When your child turns 18: Your MyChart account will expire. If you provide Cincinnati Children’s with appropriate proof of ongoing legal guardianship (i.e., in cases of diminished capacity), your MyChart access can be re-activated. An adult patient may also sign a new Adult Proxy Access Form, granting access to other family members, such as a parent or spouse.

How does proxy access work in a shared parenting relationship?

Each parent, regardless of their relationship, should have his or her own MyChart account. To do this, each parent signs a Cincinnati Children’s MyChart Agreement. Your child will only have to sign one Cincinnati Children’s assent form, which automatically covers both parents.

Can a child choose to allow one parent proxy access and deny proxy access to the other parent?

No. To have a MyChart account, a patient age 13 to 17 (who is not of diminished capacity) must sign an assent form granting proxy to a parent or primary caregiver. The language in the assent form covers proxy for both parents.

Mobile App Available

We offer a MyChart mobile app to help families access their Cincinnati Children’s health information on the go. The app gives you access to a patient’s current medication list, appointments, test results, messages, health reminders and health summary (allergies, immunizations, health issues).

Getting Started

You must have an activated MyChart account at Cincinnati Children’s to use the app. If you don’t have a MyChart account, ask a registrar at your clinic. Then get the mobile app:

Android: Launch the Play app and search “MyChart.”

Apple iOS: Launch the App Store on a desktop or laptop via iTunes; download the app; install it when your mobile iDevice is synced.