July 13, 2023
Last month, University of Washington Medicine (UW Medicine) announced that its patients may be charged for certain communications sent to their providers through MyChart.
Other health systems across the country have implemented similar policies and UW Medicine is the first health system in Washington state to announce this shift in policy.
Most MyChart messages will remain free, but those that require medical expertise and more than five minutes of a provider’s time may be charged as a virtual care visit. In general, virtual care visits must follow Premera Blue Cross claims policies and are paid based on the provider’s contracted rate and the member’s benefits.
Types of messages that may result in a claim include:
- Requests for new medications
- Questions about new symptoms or problems
- Questions about news or journal articles
- Changes to a chronic condition
- Requests to fill out medical forms
- Requests for new referrals
Currently, Premera is unaware of other health systems in Washington and Alaska proceeding with a similar policy.