How to set up MyChart proxy access for an aging parent
Your parent’s lab results, medication list, and appointment schedule all live in MyChart, but when you’re the one coordinating their care, you can’t see any of it. That’s health privacy working as designed: their record is theirs. MyChart proxy access is the built-in fix. Your parent shares their record with you, and it appears inside your own MyChart account, next to your own. Depending on the health system, setup takes 10 minutes online or one signed form. Here’s how to set it up, what you’ll actually be able to see, and how to decide which family members should have access in the first place.
Step 1: Have the conversation before you touch a form
Proxy access is a grant, not a takeover. Your parent stays in control of their record and chooses what to share, so start by agreeing on the problem you’re solving together: the missed follow-up appointment, the “what did the doctor say?” phone calls, the medication list nobody can find. That framing matters, because caregiving coordination is now mainstream. The AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving’s 2025 report counts 63 million Americans providing ongoing care to an adult or a child with special needs.
Two things worth settling up front:
- How much access. Some health systems offer tiers. Premier Health, for example, offers full access, clinical information only, or scheduling and messaging only. Starting narrow is fine; access can widen later.
- Who else. If you have siblings, decide together who gets access now (more on that in step 4).
Step 2: The fast path: an invitation from your parent’s account
If your parent already uses MyChart, granting proxy access is self-service. Per the official MyChart help pages, your parent opens the Sharing Hub, selects Manage friends and family access, then invites you by name and email. You confirm the invitation, and their record shows up in your MyChart account. When you’re viewing their information, their name appears at the top of the screen, and a Switch menu toggles between accounts, so there’s no mixing up whose results you’re reading.
One caveat from the same help pages: not every organization supports self-service setup. Some require you to contact them directly and sign paper forms first. If the Sharing Hub option isn’t there, that’s why, not something your parent is doing wrong.
Step 3: The paper path: the adult proxy form
If your parent doesn’t use MyChart, or their health system requires it, you’ll file an adult proxy authorization form. The pattern across most systems: your parent signs the form, you show government-issued ID, and the office processes it, sometimes on the spot.
If your parent can no longer consent, because of dementia or another condition, the form usually asks for legal documentation instead: a health care power of attorney, guardianship papers, or a court order. That paperwork makes you what HIPAA calls a personal representative, someone authorized under state law to make health care decisions on another person’s behalf, with the same right of access to their records. Note the direction of that rule: power of attorney entitles you to the information, but you still have to submit the proxy paperwork before the portal access turns on.
If those documents don’t exist yet, the National Institute on Aging keeps a plain-language checklist for getting these papers in order. And while you’re gathering paperwork, it’s a natural moment to organize your parent’s medical records into one place, since the proxy form is easier to complete with a current medication and provider list in hand.
Step 4: Decide which siblings get access, and how much
MyChart proxy access isn’t limited to one person, so the question isn’t whether siblings can have access. It’s whether each one should, and at what level. A useful rule from our guide to sharing caregiving with siblings: fair beats equal. The sibling managing appointments needs scheduling and messaging. A sibling three time zones away who mostly wants reassurance might be better served by clinical-only access, or by a weekly update from you.
The one thing to coordinate explicitly: who messages the care team. Every proxy with messaging access can write to the clinic, and three overlapping messages about the same refill make your parent’s chart noisier, not safer. Pick one point person, and treat everyone else’s access as read-mostly. There’s more on running this kind of family coordination in our family caregiving hub.
Step 5: MyChart proxy access can expire, so calendar a check
Proxy access is not always permanent. Premier Health, for instance, expires adult proxy access annually on the date it was elected, and other systems have their own renewal rules. Your parent can also revoke access at any time, immediately through their own settings or by written request to medical records.
Treat that as a feature. An annual check-in (“is this arrangement still working for you?”) keeps the access consensual, and knowing they can dial it back is often what makes a reluctant parent comfortable granting it at all.
What Katika Care does about this
Proxy access shows you one health system’s records. If your parent sees doctors across two systems, or you’re also tracking your own numbers and a kid’s growth chart, the picture fragments fast. If you want a single place to keep all of it, your readings, your parent’s readings, the whole family timeline, Katika Care does that. It’s free, no ads, no data resale, and works alongside Apple Health or Health Connect.
Start your free family health timeline
Frequently asked questions
Can I access my parents' MyChart account?
Not by logging in as them, and shared passwords violate most portal terms of use. The supported route is MyChart proxy access: your parent grants you access, and their record appears alongside your own in your MyChart account. Your parent can grant it from the Sharing Hub in their account, or you can submit the health system's adult proxy authorization form. Policies vary by health system, so check your parent's provider.
Does power of attorney give me access to MyChart?
Not automatically. A health care power of attorney can make you your parent's personal representative under HIPAA, which entitles you to their health information, but health systems still require you to submit their proxy paperwork with the legal document attached before they turn on portal access. Budget a visit to medical records or an emailed form, not just the POA itself.
Can more than one person have proxy access to the same MyChart account?
Yes. A parent can grant proxy access to several adult children at once, and many caregiving families do exactly that. Some health systems also let the patient set different access levels per person, such as full access for the sibling coordinating care and appointment-and-messaging access for others. Agree as a family on who messages the care team so the clinic hears one voice.
What can a MyChart proxy see?
It depends on the access level the patient and health system choose. Full access typically shows test results, medications, visit notes, and messages, and lets you schedule appointments. Some systems offer narrower tiers, such as clinical information only, or scheduling and messaging only. The patient can usually review and change what each proxy sees from their own account settings.
Can my parent revoke my proxy access?
Yes, at any time. Most health systems let the patient remove a proxy immediately from their MyChart settings, or by a written request to medical records that takes effect within a few business days. That control matters: proxy access works best when your parent knows they can dial it back, which makes them more comfortable granting it in the first place.