myMedStar | Portal Questions and Answers | MedStar Health

Frequently Asked Questions

We’ve compiled a list of the questions most commonly asked by our patients and published them, along with our answers, below. Please select the category that best fits your question.

If further assistance is required, call 877-745-5656.

About myMedStar

  • Are all MedStar Health facilities offering myMedStar?

    All MedStar Health hospitals, Urgent Care facilities and most ambulatory offices participate with myMedStar.

  • Is there a charge for using myMedStar?

    No, myMedStar is free to all MedStar patients.

  • Who is eligible to have an account?

    Patients 18 years of age and older who have been seen at a participating MedStar Health facility/office are eligible to enroll in the myMedStar patient portal.

  • Can I connect my personal fitness/diet tracker to my portal?

    MedStar Health is dedicated to helping improve your overall health care experience by providing convenient, streamlined resources to help you better manage your health. We now offer the ability for you to securely connect some of the health management apps you may use (such as fitness trackers and dietary trackers) to your health record. Email us at mymedstar@medstar.net if you are interested.

    Once we receive your request, MedStar Health will work with the appropriate vendors to determine if they meet the technical requirements in order to establish a secure connection.

Enrollment

  • How do I sign up for myMedStar?

    Option 1: E-mail Invitation

    • During registration, you were asked about your interest in the myMedStar patient portal. If you provided your email address an invitation has already been sent to you.
    • Follow the email instructions to enroll. You will need:
      • First and last name
      • Date of birth
      • Zip Code

    Option 2: Self Enrollment

    1. Click “Enroll in myMedStar” at the top of this page.

    2. Follow the instructions to enroll. You will need:

      • First name
      • Last name
      • Date of birth

    Next choose how you would like to verify your account, using ONE of the following:

      • Text Message (text rates may apply)
      • Email address
      • MedStar Health Patient ID

    Please note: The above information must match what we have on file for you from your last registration.

  • What if I forget or lose my password?

    There is a link provided for lost passwords. Enter your username or email address and you will receive a verification code to the email address associated with your account. If you have questions or need assistance creating or accessing your account, please contact myMedStar support toll free at 877-745-5656.

  • I'm getting a disqualification message when trying to self-enroll

    You may be disqualified for any number of reasons:

    • You may already be enrolled. Click here to reset your password.
    • If you've recently had a name change our records may not be fully updated. Try using your previous name.
    • You may be using an email address that we don't have on file for you. Click here to request your MedStar Health Patient ID.

    If you have questions or need assistance creating or accessing your account, please contact myMedStar support toll free at 877-745-5656.

Family accounts

  • What is proxy access?

    Proxy access allows a person other than the patient to have access to and make requests on behalf of another patient. Forms to request proxy access are available at your physician’s office or here on our website. Requests for proxy access to a minor child's account may be requested electronically through an existing myMedStar patient portal account under the "Forms and Requests" section of the portal. All other proxy access requests must be submitted in person at one of our sites. For more information on types of proxy access, click here.

    Note: For security and confidentiality, the system does track who is accessing the portal accounts. Individuals should apply for proxy access rather than sharing IDs and passwords.
  • May I ask questions regarding a family member from myMedStar?

    You may not inquire about a family member from your own myMedStar account. Messages sent to/from the myMedStar patient portal are included in the medical record of the patient.

    If you have proxy access to another patient's account, please ensure that you are sending the message/inquiry under the appropriate account.

  • Can I view a family member's (e.g., child, parent, spouse) health record in myMedStar?

    Parents/legal guardians, husbands/wives, personal representatives, etc. may request “proxy access” to the medical records of their child, spouse, parent, etc. Proxy access for minor children may be requested through your existing myMedStar patient portal account. All other proxy requests must be applied for in person.

    Note: For regulatory, privacy and safety reasons, a majority of the medical information for patients age 13-17 will be blocked from view. However, proxies will still have access to immunization records and may make requests on behalf of a minor patient. Please click here for forms and more information about proxy access.
  • Can my spouse and I share one myMedStar account?

    Each patient should have their own portal account. However, with permission, spouses may obtain proxy access to each other’s accounts. Please click here for forms and more information on proxy access.
  • Can minors have membership in myMedStar?

    At this time, minors cannot have their own patient portal account. However, proxy access may be granted to a parent or legal guardian. Please click here for forms and more information on proxy access.

Available records

  • What information is available to me?

    • Health Profile: List of current medications, allergies, immunizations and current and resolved health issues.

    • Procedures: Surgical and procedure history.

    • Clinical Documents: Office visit notes, telehealth notes, history & physicals, consults and procedure notes, orders, as well as some miscellaneous results.

    • Administrative Documents: Patient letters, work/school notes and other administrative information .

    • Lab Results: Includes most lab results not including lab reports

    • Radiology: Radiology reports not including images

    • Pathology: Pathology reports

    • COVID Center: COVID-19 results and immunizations (if given or documented at a MedStar Health facility)

    • Summary of Care: A visit summary for each visit at a MedStar Health facility is available here.

    If there are any additional documents or results that you are unable to locate, you may request them from your provider's office using the Send a Message feature.

  • How soon will Visit Summaries be available to me?

    Visit Care Summaries will be available within 24 hours of your visit or discharge.

  • What if I find an error in my records?

    Use the Request to Correct an Error in my Medical Record form found under the Requests and Other Forms section of your portal. Please be sure to include detail of the discrepancy. This form should not be used to request updates to demographics, medications, allergies and immunizations. Those should be requested in person during your next visit to a MedStar Health facility.

Test results

  • What test results should I expect to receive?

    Most lab results, radiology, and pathology reports are available in the patient portal. Under your Health Record please review the following sections: Lab Results, COVID Center, Pathology, Radiology and Clinical Documents. If there are additional results that you are unable to locate, you may request them from your provider's office using the Send a Message feature.

  • Where can I find my COVID-19 immunizations and results?

    Under your Health Record there is a section specifically for COVID test results and immunizations (COVID Center). Results and immunizations can be viewed and printed. In addition, there is a QR code available for COVID immunizations.

Messages

  • Which MedStar physicians may I communicate with through the myMedStar patient portal?

    You may send secure email messages to any of the MedStar physicians that you have an ongoing relationship with, such as your primary care physician or a specialist. However, you cannot email a physician who may have treated you in the Emergency Department or a hospitalist physician who may have overseen your general care during a hospital stay.

  • How do I know when I've received a message?

    You will receive a notice at the regular email address that you provided during registration. That notice will have a link to your secure message which you can click on to sign into myMedStar and read your message.

  • What type of messages may I send my doctor?

    Once you successfully enroll in myMedStar, you will be able to send a message to your doctor to request, reschedule and cancel appointments, request physician referrals, renew prescriptions, request medical records, or ask a general question. The myMedStar patient portal should not be used for urgent situations. Please dial 911 if it is an emergency.

  • When can I expect a reply to a message I send to my physician's office?

    For most requests, you should hear back from your physician’s office within one business day. Exceptions may be lab or medical tests, which may take up to three days. If you have not gotten a response from your participating physician’s office within two business days, phone your physician’s office. The myMedStar patient portal should not be used for urgent situations. Please dial 911 if it is an emergency.

  • Are messages sent to/from the myMedStar patient portal private?

    Messages sent to/from the myMedStar patient portal are part of your medical record. Those messages are only available to the appropriate MedStar Health care team.

Sending information

  • How do I download my medical information?

    Once you successfully log into myMedstar, select Health Record and then Visit Summaries. Click the “Download” button next to the Visit Care or Clinical Summary that you wish to download and choose the format for the file.

  • How do I send medical information to other healthcare providers?

    Once you successfully log into myMedStar, select Health Record and then Visit Summaries. Click the “Send” button next to the Visit Care, Clinical Summary or Transition of Care document that you wish to send. To send the email securely, you will need your providers direct email address to send information via your portal account. This is not the doctor’s regular email address. You will have to ask the receiving doctor for their “secure DIRECT protocol email address.” You may also send the information to a standard email address. Please use caution if not using a "secure DIRECT protocol email address" as this information could be viewed by an unintentional recipient.

  • What types of files can I attach to a message?

    You may send us the following types of attachments:

    • Images:  
      • .JPG, .JPEG, - JPEG/JIFF images
      • .PNG - Portable (Public) Network Graphic images
      • .BMP - Windows OS/2 Bitmap graphics
      • .GIF - Graphic Interchange Format images
      • .TIFF - Tagged Image File Format
    • Documents: 
      • .PDF - Portable Document Format, Adobe Reader, Adobe Acrobat files
      • .DOC, .DOCX - Documents, Word documents
      • .PPT, .PPTX, .PPS, .PPSX  - Presentations, Microsoft PowerPoint presentations
      • .ODT - OpenDocument Text files
      • .XLS, .XLSX - Worksheets, Excel worksheets
      • .TXT - Text files
      • .RTF - Rich Text Format files
    • Videos: 
      • .MP4, .M4V, - MPEG-4 videos
      • .MOV - QuickTime movies
      • .WMV - Windows Media Video movies
      • .MPG - MPEG-1 videos

Personal information

  • How can I notify my physician about a change to my demographic information?

    Click the menu option "Patient Information" and update any changed information. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and select your providers office from the list and "Send update request".

    *Please note: Your information will not be automatically updated. Kindly allow 5-7 days for updates to be processed.

  • What if other information is wrong that I cannot update online?

    You can either contact your healthcare provider’s office directly by phone or by using the Request a Change to my Medical Record form found in the Electronic Forms section of the portal.

    Please note: Updates to medications, allergies, immunizations and demographics should be made in person during your next visit.

  • What if my name has changed and I want to update my portal account information?

    Click on the … next to your name at the bottom of the Home screen. Once there, click the option for "Account". Click the link for "Update account settings" and then "Edit Personal Information". You can edit your first and last name, date of birth and gender.

    *Please note: These are edits to your portal account information only. To submit a change to have your medical record updated, please reach out to your healthcare provider.

Security

  • How can I update my security information?

    Once you successfully log into the MedStar Health Patient Portal, select the dropdown showing your name in the upper right-hand corner. If you are using a mobile device this menu will show at the bottom of the main menu. From there you can update any of the following options: Account information, Sign In and Security, Notifications and Patient Information.

Support help

  • Need assistance?

    Please contact our dedicated support line at 1-877-745-5656, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

  • Medical Emergency

    If this is a medical emergency, dial 911.
    If you are seeking advice or need to speak to your physician, contact your physician’s office directly.

  • Forgot your username or password?

    Click the link for lost passwords on the login screen. Enter either your username or email address and you will receive a verification code to the email address associated with your account. If you are not seeing an email with the verification code, please check your spam folder. Be sure to open your email in a new window so you can insert the code in the verification box. If you need additional assistance resetting your password email us at mymedstar@medstar.net or contact our dedicated support line at 1-877-745-5656

  • How do I change where message and result notifications are delivered?

    Once you successfully log into the MedStar Health Patient Portal, select the dropdown showing your name in the upper right-hand corner. If you are using a mobile device this menu will show at the bottom of the main menu. From there choose Notifications.

Cancelling myMedStar

  • How do I cancel myMedStar account?

    We certainly hope you find myMedStar helpful and will continue your membership. However, if you wish to cancel your membership, send an email to mymedstar@medstar.net and advise us that you wish to cancel your membership. Or call myMedStar support toll-free at 877-745-5656 anytime, 24/7.

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