OSF MyChart
Video Visits
OSF HealthCare offers telehealth options for many outpatient appointments, including visits with primary care providers and specialists.
Telehealth options, such as secure phone or video chat, can be the best option for your care.
While some medical care requires in-person appointments, many visits can be effective and convenient by video.
Scheduling a Video Visit
When making an appointment with your provider, you can request a video visit. Your care team will determine if a video visit is the appropriate type of visit for your need.
You can also schedule your own video visit with your provider through OSF MyChart.
After your appointment is scheduled:
- If you do not have an active OSF MyChart account, an activation code will be sent to you following confirmation of your appointment. You will need to register as a new user to prepare for your upcoming visit. Please complete this step within 24 hours of receiving the link.
- If you have an active OSF MyChart account, you will see the video visit in your upcoming appointments list within the application.
Specific instructions to help you successfully connect to the video visit will be available within the appointment details section in OSF MyChart.
Preparing for a Video Visit
Please familiarize yourself with the content on this page prior to your appointment.
Tip sheets are also available for your convenience. Use these instructions as an additional resource as you prepare for your video visit.
See how video visits work from your computer, smartphone or tablet.
Computer
Phone & Tablet
Before Your Appointment
You will need an active OSF MyChart account to participate in a video visit. If you did not receive an activation code by email or were not able to register upon scheduling your appointment, please visit the OSF MyChart website.
We recommend giving yourself a couple days to sign up in advance of your appointment to ensure you are connected.
Here's what else you'll need to get started:
- Internet or Wi-Fi connection
- A computer equipped with web cam, microphone and speakers (desktop or laptop)
- Or a mobile device (smartphone or tablet)
- Make sure your computer or device has a supported browser (Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox or Opera). Please note that video visits are not supported by Internet Explorer.
Preparing Your Device
In order to successfully participate in a video visit, you will need a strong internet connection and a high-quality camera for your device. Many smartphones, tablets and laptop computers are equipped with a camera and microphone suitable for a video visit.
Your best choice for strong internet is a hardwired connection, meaning your device is plugged into an Ethernet cord, rather than connected to wireless internet.
While you can use a smartphone for your video visit, you are likely to have a stronger connection with a tablet or computer. If you are using a smartphone, it should be connected to Wi-Fi or have at least 4G capabilities.
Connecting to Your Appointment
Checking In
eCheck-In is required before you can connect to your video visit. You will do this through OSF MyChart using a phone or computer.
eCheck-In becomes available two days before your scheduled appointment time. We encourage you to review the video visit instructions in detail before your scheduled appointment time to help you quickly and easily connect with your provider.
At the Time of Your Appointment
When you are ready to connect to your appointment, you will do this using OSF MyChart. We encourage you to connect to your appointment up to 15 minutes before your scheduled time to ensure proper connectivity.
To prepare:
- Find a quiet, private location with enough light.
- Consider using a headset for the best sound quality.
- Make sure your device is plugged in or charged with enough battery for the visit.
- Make sure your speakers are unmuted and also that your volume level is set appropriately. You can also adjust the volume at the bottom of the video visit window.
- Close all other applications on your device.
- Consider having someone present with you to hold/position the camera if needed.
- It may also be helpful to have access to your insurance card and any medications.
- Plan to log into your video visit a few minutes before your scheduled appointment start time to begin the eCheck-In process.
Virtual Waiting Room
After you are logged in to your video visit, you will be in a “virtual waiting room” until your provider is ready and available – just like an in-person appointment.
Please stay close to your computer or device during this time, and try not to allow your device to lock or go to sleep, as this could disrupt your connection.
Video Session Being Blocked by Pop-Up Blocker
Follow these specific instructions to disable the pop-up blocker for video visits on a computer.
iPhone or iPad iOS:
- Open the Settings app in iOS and go to Safari browser.
- Under General on right side, toggle the switch Block Pop-ups to the OFF position.
Android phone or tablet:
- Open the Chrome app. To the right of the address bar, tap the 3 dots and the click Settings.
- Tap Site settings. Click Pop-ups and redirects. Make sure they are Allowed.
"Browser Not Supported" Error
Please note the platform used for OSF video visits is not compatible with Internet Explorer.
If you have access to another browser, please access OSF MyChart in the alternate browser and attempt to launch the video visit again.
If Internet Explorer is the only browser you have access to, you should download an alternate browser. These include Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari, which can be downloaded and installed free of charge.
Microphone or Camera Issues
When logging into your appointment, you will be asked to allow access to the microphone and camera.
Please click “Allow” when prompted, or update your settings to allow camera and microphone access.
You can always change this setting later by clicking the camera icon at the top of your browser (next to the web address).
If the steps above do not work or you have denied access, please adjust your settings. Review the appropriate instructions below for your phone’s operating system.
iPhone or iPad iOS:
- Go to your phone’s Settings > Apps
- Find settings for websites (i.e. Safari)
- Select Camera and set to “Ask” or “Allow”
- Select Microphone and set to “Ask” or “Allow”
- Exit Settings and relaunch the MyChart application. Go back to the Video Visit appointment and click Begin Visit. The video visit will launch and connect to the clinician. If either prompt returns, click “Allow” to allow access to microphone and camera.
Android Phone or Tablet:
- Go to your phone’s Settings > Apps
- Find and click the Chrome app
- Select Permissions
- You will see Camera and Microphone listed under “Denied”
- Click both Camera and Microphone. For both, select “Allow”
- Exit Settings and relaunch the MyChart application. Go back to the video visit appointment and click Begin Visit. The video visit will launch and connect to the clinician.
Other Audio or Video Issues
If you believe your camera and microphone are functioning but are still having issues, try the following:
- Refresh your browser
- Move closer to your router if you are using a Wi-Fi internet connection
If the video feed is delayed or choppy, you may have too many applications currently running on the system. Close any applications that could be using the microphone or camera such as a phone or web call, WebEx or social media.
The video visit component requires a certain amount of processing power based on the computer's specification, and closing other applications will free some resources and improve streaming quality.
Need Help?
Your provider’s office will plan to call you at the telephone number you provided if they see you have not connected within 15 minutes of your appointment. Please advise them if you are having trouble so they can offer additional assistance.
If you have questions about OSF MyChart access, please call the help desk at (855) 673-4325.
After Your Video Visit
Prescriptions
If you need a prescription medication, your provider will send it to the pharmacy of your choice.
Billing
No co-payment is required at the time of the appointment. OSF will submit claims for video visits directly to your insurance carrier, just as we do for traditional, in-person visits.
After-Visit Summary
Notes and an after-visit summary can be found in your OSF MyChart account, under past visits.
What is a video visit?
Video visits, sometimes called telehealth or virtual visits, are a way for you to connect with your provider through your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Video visits allow you to stay engaged in your health care from anywhere.
Who is eligible for a video visit?
Video visits are available for both adults and children for many types of care, including primary care and specialist appointments.
At this time, all appointments will be scheduled as a video visit unless the provider believes an in-person visit would be the best care for a patient based on their medical history.
Pediatric visits such as newborn and well-child visits will continue to occur face to face. Video visits will be used for children when appropriate.
Do I need to be an established patient?
Can I complete a video visit if I’m currently living out of state?
Previous restrictions for out-of-state telehealth visits have been lifted. Call your insurance provider to confirm you are eligible to participate.
We recommend this option for snowbirds so you can continue to receive care from your trusted provider while living elsewhere for a part of the year.
Can I do a video visit from my smartphone?
Yes, video visits can be conducted using a smartphone.
Please note that laptops or tablets typically have a stronger internet connection than phones.
If you plan to use a smartphone for your video visit, ensure it has either a strong Wi-Fi connection or at least 4G capabilities and a strong signal.
How much does a video visit cost?
Will my insurance be billed for this visit?
Can I receive prescriptions from a video visit?
Will my video visit be recorded?
No. We take great care to protect your privacy at all times.
You will receive a written summary after your video visit, just like you would after an in-person appointment.
Are video visits secure?
We take great care to ensure your health information is kept private and secure.
Access to information is controlled through secure access codes, personal IDs and passwords. Each person controls their password, and the account cannot be accessed without that password.
OSF MyChart uses the latest in industry-standard 128-bit SSL encryption technology with no caching to automatically encrypt your session with OSF MyChart. Video visits are not recorded.
| Tip Sheets |
| Phones & Tablets (PDF) |
| Computers (PDF) |