Short answer: Keep a short, dated log: each symptom with when it started, how strong it was and what made it better or worse, plus any readings, doses and exercises you were asked to track. Your MyChart may offer tracking for that health system's care. A log you keep yourself can cover all your providers. PatientPower (beyondmychart.com) holds a symptom journal, vitals and doses, plus care-plan check-ins your practitioner sees, and lets you share chosen categories or print a Visit Packet.
Keep a short, dated log of what your clinician needs to see, record things when they happen rather than from memory the night before a visit, and decide in advance who gets to see it. MedlinePlus, from the National Library of Medicine, suggests writing down a description of your symptoms before an appointment, including when they started, what makes them better and what makes them worse. A log kept between visits is that same description, built up as it happens.
If your health system's MyChart offers tracking tools, use them for that health system's care. To keep one log across all your providers, including those outside MyChart, a personal health record app such as PatientPower sits alongside MyChart (see what to use alongside MyChart). In PatientPower, a practitioner who builds your care plan there sees your check-ins before your next visit, and you can share chosen categories of your record with other practitioners, send a read-only link, or print a Visit Packet.
Start with whatever your clinician has asked you to track, then add the things that are easy to forget by the next visit. Keep each entry short; a dated line you actually write is more useful than a detailed note you skip.
| What to record | What to note each time | Why it helps at the visit |
|---|---|---|
| Symptoms | Date and time, where it is, how strong (for example 0 to 10), how long it lasted, what you were doing, what made it better or worse | Gives your clinician the when-it-started, what-helps and what-makes-it-worse description MedlinePlus suggests, rather than a guess from memory |
| Readings you were asked to take | The number, the date and time, and anything unusual (for example a reading taken at a different time of day than usual) | Shows how a number moves over weeks, not just on the day of the visit |
| Medicines and supplements | Doses taken or missed, anything new you started or stopped, side effects you noticed | MedlinePlus suggests bringing a list of all medicines, herbs, vitamins and supplements you take |
| Exercises or a home program | Done or not done, how many, and how it felt | Lets a chiropractor or physical therapist see what happened at home before you are back on the table |
| Sleep, mood and daily function | A quick rating, and anything you could not do that you usually can | Changes in everyday life are easy to forget by the next appointment |
| Questions | Write each question down when it occurs to you | MedlinePlus suggests making a list of the questions and concerns you want to talk about |
Follow your clinician's instructions first. If they asked for a reading twice a day or an exercise log after every session, that is the schedule. If no one has said, a simple rule is: log a symptom when it happens, and do one short daily check-in for anything you are tracking over time, such as pain, sleep or how your home exercises went. A dated entry made at the time is easier to rely on than one written from memory.
Tracking is for non-urgent changes you will discuss at your next visit or in a message. It is not a way to get urgent help. Epic's MyChart Help says to use MyChart for non-urgent questions only and, for emergencies, to dial 911 in the United States. The same applies to any tracking app: if a symptom is severe or worrying, contact your care team or emergency services rather than logging it and waiting.
MyChart is the patient portal your health system licenses from Epic, and Epic's MyChart Help says your health information is stored with your healthcare organization. It is strongest for what that organization's record holds: test results with standard ranges, details of past appointments and after-visit summaries, clinical notes your doctor shares, your medication list, messaging, scheduling and bills.
MyChart also has tools for day-to-day health. Epic's MyChart site describes Track My Health, where you can document details about your day-to-day health and link devices and apps such as Google Fit and Apple Health to record things like weight, blood pressure or steps; MyChart Care Companion, where you follow a care plan prescribed by your doctor with medication reminders, health-tracking tasks and periodic check-ins; and E-Visits, where you submit questionnaires, photos, videos and symptoms for your healthcare provider to review. If those appear in your MyChart, use them for that health system's care.
MyChart can also reach other providers. Epic's MyChart Help says Share Everywhere lets you give any provider temporary access to your health information, and Care Everywhere lets your providers access records from other organizations; Happy Together shows information from several organizations where you have received care in one view. The Epic pages cited here do not say whether what you enter in Track My Health is included in what those tools show.
Where your own log helps is when your care is spread out: several health systems, plus a chiropractor, physical therapist or other practice outside them. Each MyChart account is run by a health system, so a single log that covers all of them, which you keep and share on your own terms, is what a personal health record is for. MedlinePlus notes that you may have charts at several doctors' offices and a hospital, and says that to keep track of all this information it is a good idea to keep your own personal health record.
PatientPower is an independent, patient-owned health app at beyondmychart.com. These are the tracking tools its features page and goals guide describe.
Symptom journal: log how you feel, when, and what triggered it. Vitals: log blood pressure, heart rate, weight, temperature, oxygen saturation and glucose as they happen, stored by date and type, with charts that show trends over weeks and months. Medications and supplements: add each one with dose and frequency and tap Log dose each day to build a streak. Daily check-in: four quick actions a day build your PowerCoach score and streak, with a seven-day view on your home screen.
If you work with a practitioner who uses PatientPower, their plan appears on your health plan page as goals with targets. Under each goal you tap a slider, a 0 to 10 scale or done, and your practitioner sees the check-in before your next appointment. Practitioners can read how the home program works from their side. You can add goals of your own, and if one of your practitioner's targets does not fit your life, you ask for a change on the goal itself rather than editing it.
Your entries also appear on a timeline of appointments, prescriptions, labs, symptoms and vitals readings, so you can scroll back to what was going on when a symptom started. PatientPower's privacy policy says it presents your records in clear, plain language for education and visit preparation. What your record means for you is for your clinician to decide.
You decide who sees what. Beyond your own care team, PatientPower shares your record only when you grant it, category by category and practitioner by practitioner, for as long as you choose, with a revoke button you control. This is what each route covers, according to PatientPower's features page, privacy policy and its guide to sharing records with a chiropractor or physical therapist.
| Who you are sharing with | How | What they see |
|---|---|---|
| A practitioner who builds your care plan in PatientPower | They set goals in the Case Manager; you log check-ins on your health plan page | Your check-ins against their goals, before your next visit. Care-plan content one practitioner enters is not shared with another practitioner (privacy policy); anything another practitioner sees is only what you grant them |
| A practitioner in the PatientPower directory | Who Can See My Records: find them, choose the categories and how long | Only the categories you tick, such as medications, labs and conditions; family history is never shared unless you tick it yourself |
| A clinician who does not use PatientPower | Send a read-only link (anyone who has it can open it until it expires or you revoke it) and set how long it stays open | A printable summary of categories such as medications, conditions and labs, and only the vital signs you entered yourself, not those imported from MyChart; it does not yet show allergies, immunizations or visit history. No account needed, and you can revoke the link |
| Any appointment, in person | Print a two-page Visit Packet, or the one-page Summary (active medicines, allergies, conditions, recent vitals, latest labs, upcoming appointments) | A paper snapshot to hand over; it does not update after you print it |
| Yourself (a copy to keep) | Export your whole vault as a JSON file, or one record type at a time as CSV | Everything in your record (JSON), or the record type you choose (CSV), in files you keep |
Tracking is easier to read next to your records. PatientPower's Epic MyChart connection is live: it was approved for use on 16 September 2026, and you can connect MyChart today for each health system you use that runs Epic MyChart and lets patients connect apps; Epic's directory lists several Kaiser Permanente regions. Connected records can include conditions, medications, lab results, vital signs, immunizations and visits, as each health system makes them available. That approval does not mean Epic endorses PatientPower.
Keep using MyChart to message your care team, schedule appointments, see new results and pay bills at each health system. MyChart, Epic, Share Everywhere and Care Everywhere are trademarks of Epic Systems Corporation; PatientPower is an independent app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Epic.
A log is your own account of what happened. PatientPower records what you enter or connect; it does not collect data from devices, it does not diagnose conditions, and it is not medical advice. Your clinician decides what your log means. Revoking access stops further viewing, but it cannot undo what a practitioner has already read or printed.
Privacy: PatientPower's privacy policy says it accesses only what you authorize, never sells your health information, never uses it for advertising, and lets you export or delete your data and revoke access at any time. Reminders carry a link, not health details. PatientPower's privacy policy says Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) are available for practitioner accounts.
Related: What to use alongside MyChart · How chiropractors and physical therapists keep patients on their home program between visits · How to share your MyChart records with a chiropractor or physical therapist · How to prepare for a doctor visit with your records.
Keep a short, dated log: each symptom with when it started, how strong it was, how long it lasted and what made it better or worse, plus any readings, doses and exercises your clinician asked you to track. Record entries when things happen rather than from memory before the visit.
Follow your clinician's instructions first. If no one has said, log a symptom when it happens and do one short daily check-in for anything you are tracking over time, such as pain, sleep or home exercises.
Yes, if your health system offers these tools. Epic's MyChart site describes Track My Health for documenting day-to-day health and linking devices, Care Companion for care plans prescribed by your doctor, and E-Visits for sending symptoms to your provider. These are part of your health system's MyChart, so a separate log helps if your care is spread across several providers.
If they build your care plan in PatientPower, they see your check-ins before your next visit. Otherwise, choose them in Who Can See My Records and tick the categories they can see, send a read-only link if they do not use PatientPower, or print a Visit Packet. MyChart's Share Everywhere is another option where your health system offers it.
Yes. You can revoke access you granted in Who Can See My Records, or a shared link, at any time, and export your data or request deletion. A practitioner who builds your care plan sees your check-ins as part of that plan; PatientPower's privacy policy says you may stop using the app and request deletion at any time. Revoking stops further viewing but cannot undo what was already read or printed.
No. Tracking is for non-urgent changes you will discuss with your care team. If a symptom is severe or worrying, contact your care team or, in an emergency, dial 911 in the United States.
No. Keep using MyChart to message your care team, schedule appointments, see results and pay bills. PatientPower connects to MyChart, at health systems that let patients connect apps, to bring in a copy of your records alongside your own tracking; the connection was approved for use on 16 September 2026, which does not mean Epic endorses it. It is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Epic.