MyChart Now Provides QR Codes for Users to Share Their COVID-19 Vaccine Status and Test Results

Shepherd Center and its electronic health record partner, Piedmont Healthcare, have collaborated with the Vaccination Credential Initiative (VCI) and Epic to provide patients with access to a verifiable copy of their COVID-19 vaccination and testing records in digital or paper form. This information will help patients meet requirements from various entities, such as airlines and entertainment venues.

Using the online patient health records portal MyChart, patients will be able to generate a QR code and download their vaccination status and test results to a PDF file. They may also save the QR code to a health app on their smartphone. Then, patients may present QR codes that can be scanned from their mobile device by certified vendors who require proof of vaccination or negative test results. If a patient doesn’t have a smartphone, they will be able to print their QR codes from the MyChart website to present a paper copy.

Clinical staff members at Shepherd Center and Piedmont will also be able to print a paper copy with the QR codes for patients following an admission or clinic visit.

The QR codes contain the patient’s SMART Health Card, which includes basic information about the patient, such as their legal name and birthdate. The QR Code contains the very minimum amount of information required to show vaccination or test status.

In MyChart, a patient’s record of COVID-19 vaccinations is dependent upon the information Shepherd Center (and Piedmont Healthcare if you are also their patient) has in their electronic health record from the Georgia Registry of Immunization Transactions and Services (GRITS) and may also vary based a patient’s vaccine eligibility. The vaccination records will only show status of the primary vaccination series (one dose for Johnson & Johnson and two doses for Moderna or Pfizer).

Once a patient generates a QR Code, it does not expire. If the patient has a change in vaccination status or receives a new COVID-19 test result, the MyChart user can generate a new QR code that will contain their updated information.

For complete instructions on generating QR codes via MyChart, see the related Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section at shepherd.org/mychart or download a PDF of the FAQ here.

If a patient does not already have a Shepherd Center MyChart account, they may request an activation code at their next outpatient clinic appointment or before discharge from the hospital’s inpatient programs. Patients may also call Shepherd Center’s MyChart Support Team at 404-425-7250, or email MyChartSupport@shepherd.org to request a MyChart activation code. After receiving an activation code, visit https://mychart.shepherd.org to set up an account and log in.

If a patient already uses MyChart through Piedmont Healthcare, they automatically have access to their Shepherd Center MyChart. They should visit https://mychart.shepherd.org and enter their existing Piedmont log-in credentials.