Your child may see their pediatrician once a year for a well-child visit or visit us more often if an injury, illness, chronic condition or another medical issue requires in-person appointments.
Either way, you'll naturally have questions and concerns along the way. Find out more about our pediatric care teams, including how to communicate with your child's providers, see test results, refill medications and more.
Get to know your child's care team
At UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, we welcome patients from every part of the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. We're known for our outstanding team-based approach to children's care. Whether your child's medical needs are simple or complex, our providers work together to ensure the best possible care.
Some kids simply need an annual well-child visit and vaccinations. Others require treatment for conditions ranging from coughs and colds to broken bones to chronic or serious illnesses.
Depending on your child's medical situation, their care team may include:
- Doctors, including residents and fellows
- Nurse practitioners
- Physician assistants
- Registered nurses
- Licensed vocational nurses
- Medical assistants
- Child life specialists
- Social workers
Everyone on the team has access to your child's health records. This allows team members to share information as needed and to collaboratively determine the most effective care and appropriate providers for your child.
Your child's primary care provider may be a doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. These health professionals are qualified to:
- Diagnose and treat illnesses and injuries
- Order tests, such as lab work and X-rays
- Refer patients to specialists
- Perform procedures
- Prescribe medicine
- Reply to messages in MyChart
Using MyChart for your child
MyChart makes it easy to communicate with your child's providers, see medical records, check test results, make appointments and more.
To access your child's UCSF MyChart, you must have your own MyChart account. If you don't already have an account, you can create an account here. Need help? Ask for it at your child's next appointment or call MyChart customer service at (415) 514-6000 (available 24 hours a day, seven days a week).
Here's a quick look at how UCSF MyChart works for different age groups:
For patients aged 11 or younger
A child under 12 won't have their own MyChart account. Parents can submit a proxy authorization form through their own MyChart. They'll need to create an account if they don't have one, even if they aren't a UCSF Health patient. Once proxy access is approved, they'll have full access to their child's medical information and records until the child turns 12.
This lets you easily:
- View health records and test results (such as lab work, X-rays and more)
- View active referrals
- Review after-visit summaries, including notes and instructions
- Schedule or cancel appointments in some clinics
For patients ages 12 to 17
Starting at age 12, children are required to have their own MyChart account. Your child's proxy approval is required for you to view it and use it (to message a provider or schedule an appointment, for example). And your proxy access is limited in certain ways.
By law, parents can't see information in their child's MyChart account about certain kinds of services, such as those related to reproductive health, mental health and substance use. In addition, kids can send MyChart messages to their providers that their parents can't see – and parents can send messages to providers that their kids can't see.
Proxy access lets you:
- Message your child's provider or care team
- Request or schedule appointments
- Review allergies, test results, immunizations and growth charts
Find out more about proxy access for this age group.
Messaging health care providers in MyChart
You may have simple, nonurgent questions or updates for your child's providers. The best way to share these is through MyChart. It may take up to three business days to get a response. Messages are reviewed Monday through Friday during business hours.
To send a message, log in to your child's UCSF MyChart through a web browser or an app (free in the Apple and Google Play app stores) and choose "Messages." From there, follow the prompts. When choosing a recipient, you'll see a list of providers available for you to message.
For some health issues, the care team may recommend making an appointment. You can schedule one in the "Visits" section of MyChart or by calling the clinic.
When to call the clinic
If your child is having an emergency, call 911. If the problem is not an emergency but your child needs care as soon as possible, call the clinic (don't use MyChart). Outside regular hours, visit our pediatric urgent care page to find UCSF and UCSF-affiliated urgent care clinics and a phone number for a pediatric advice nurse – or head to a pediatric urgent care clinic near you.
To ensure your child gets the care they need, we require a scheduled visit for certain issues. For example:
- New symptoms, such as a rash
- Changing symptoms, such as a worsening cough
- Requests for new medications
- Requests for tests
Schedule an appointment by calling the clinic or going to the "Visits" section of MyChart.
Fees for phone calls and messages
Most phone calls and messages to and from your child's care team are free. But if a response requires medical expertise and more than a few minutes of a provider's time, it may be billed to your insurance.
Learn more about getting medical advice through MyChart messages.
Seeing test results in MyChart
We make sure you can view your child's health information as soon as it's available. (Note: You may not have access to certain test results for kids aged 12 or older.)
You'll see most test results in your child's MyChart as soon as they're complete. In fact, you may see them before your child's health care team does. Please give us three business days to review results and let you know our thoughts.
We look at every test result and will contact you about any concerns. If you have questions after seeing results and reading providers' comments, please message your child's care team via MyChart.
Note: In keeping with California law, some radiology, pathology and genetic test results are not available in MyChart for five days. This time frame gives providers more time to review results before they're posted. Find out more about the availability of test results in MyChart.
Handling medication refills
Please note that medication refills are approved only if one of our providers has seen your child in the last 12 months.
Requesting refills
The easiest way to refill a medication is to send a MyChart message to your child's care team. Alternatively, you can ask your pharmacy to request the refill. Processing your request takes a few days, so don't wait until the last minute.
Use of some drugs (such as medications for attention disorders) is legally restricted, so you might not be allowed to pick up a refill before a certain day. Give your child's care team plenty of time to approve the refill before the current supply runs out. Then, you can pick up the prescription or have it delivered on the earliest date allowed.
Schedule an annual medical appointment
If we don't see your child regularly during the year, be sure to schedule a checkup at least once a year. That way, when your child needs a medication refilled, you won't be scrambling to make an appointment with their provider.
Using a different pharmacy?
If you've moved your child's prescriptions to a different pharmacy, refills may still be on order at the old one. Be sure to ask the new pharmacy to transfer them. They'll need the name, location and phone number of the previous one.