eClinicalWorks, HelloWell, and MedConnect Patient Portals: A Family Caregiver's Guide

Most online guides for family caregivers default to MyChart because Epic — the company behind MyChart — dominates large hospital systems. But tens of thousands of independent practices and smaller health systems run on different electronic health records (EHRs). If your parent's doctor uses eClinicalWorks, MedConnect, or HelloWell, you've probably hit a wall trying to find instructions that actually apply to your situation.

This guide covers the three patient portals most commonly encountered outside the MyChart ecosystem, explains how family proxy access works on each platform, and shows you how to use them to coordinate telehealth appointments for an elderly parent.

Why the Patient Portal Matters for Telehealth Caregiving

Before getting into platform specifics, it's worth explaining why portal access is the foundation of long-distance or remote caregiving.

When your parent has a telehealth visit, the appointment link, visit summary, lab results, and prescription changes all flow through the patient portal — not through a phone call to you. Without portal access, you're dependent on your parent to relay information accurately, which becomes increasingly unreliable as memory issues emerge. Portal access lets you:

• Join or initiate telehealth appointments directly
• Review visit notes and medication changes the same day they're recorded
• Communicate with the provider on your parent's behalf
• Request prescription refills and specialist referrals
• Catch errors in medication lists before they cause harm

The legal authority to have this access requires your parent's consent (or, if they lack capacity, documentation like Medical Power of Attorney). The technical process for getting it differs by platform.

eClinicalWorks: The Healow App Portal

eClinicalWorks is one of the most widely used EHR systems among independent and specialty practices in the United States. Their patient-facing portal runs through an app called Healow (previously marketed as eClinicalWorks Patient Portal or "eclinicalweb").

How eClinicalWorks Proxy Access Works

eClinicalWorks supports what they call "Authorized Representative" access, which allows an adult child to manage a parent's account. Here's the setup process:

Step 1: Your parent needs an active Healow account first. If they don't have one, the front desk staff can send an email invitation during a regular visit. Your parent will receive a code to activate the account on the Healow app or at the practice's patient portal web link. The portal URL is practice-specific (e.g., myportal.drsmithclinic.com) — it is not a single universal login page.

Step 2: Request proxy access at the front desk — not online. Unlike MyChart's self-service invite system, eClinicalWorks proxy access is typically granted at the practice level. Call the office and ask for the "patient portal coordinator" or the front desk manager. Tell them you need authorized representative access to your parent's account. Most practices will:

• Email a proxy authorization form
• Ask your parent to sign it (in person or by fax)
• Manually configure your access in the back end

Step 3: You receive a separate login. Once configured, the practice will send you a separate Healow account invitation. You do not share your parent's login — you get your own credentials that are linked to their chart. You'll see your parent's records when you log in to your Healow account.

What You Can Do with Proxy Access

Depending on how the practice configures it, proxy access on Healow typically allows you to:

• View upcoming appointments and schedule new ones
• Read visit summaries, lab results, and medication lists
• Send messages to the care team
• Join telehealth video visits (when the practice uses eClinicalWorks' built-in telehealth module or a linked service like Zoom for Healthcare)
• Request prescription renewals

Common Problem: Practices That Haven't Enabled Proxy

Not every eClinicalWorks practice has activated proxy access in their configuration. It is an optional feature they must turn on. If the front desk staff says "we don't offer that," ask to speak with the practice manager or medical director and explain that you are the primary caregiver for a parent who cannot manage their own healthcare. Many practices will make accommodations — especially if you have Medical Power of Attorney documentation to present.

If the practice genuinely cannot enable proxy access, your fallback is to request a signed Release of Information authorization (HIPAA Release) that permits the practice to communicate with you directly by phone. This is cumbersome for ongoing telehealth coordination but it protects your legal right to receive information.

HelloWell Patient Portal

HelloWell is a patient engagement portal used primarily by community health centers, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), and some independent practices. You are most likely to encounter it if your parent receives care at a community health clinic or a health system that prioritizes value-based care programs.

How HelloWell Proxy Access Works

HelloWell's proxy access model is similar to eClinicalWorks in that it is practice-administered rather than self-service.

The setup process:

1. Your parent should already have a HelloWell account linked to their care team. If not, the front desk can set one up.
2. Contact the clinic's patient services team and explain you need caregiver access.
3. The clinic will typically require a signed authorization form — in some configurations this follows the HIPAA Release of Information process rather than a portal-specific form.
4. Once authorized, the clinic's portal administrator can link your access to your parent's record, or in some installations, grant you a "care team member" login that shows your parent's chart.

What HelloWell does well for seniors: HelloWell is built with community health populations in mind, which means the support staff at HelloWell-using practices are often accustomed to helping patients and caregivers navigate access issues. If you encounter resistance, reference your parent's need for caregiver coordination and ask to escalate to the clinic's Health Information Manager.

Telehealth through HelloWell: Many HelloWell-enabled clinics use a separate telehealth platform (often Zoom for Healthcare or Doxy.me) and send appointment links via the HelloWell messaging center. Make sure the link goes to your email as the proxy, not just your parent's — confirm this with the front desk when scheduling.

MedConnect Patient Portal

MedConnect is used by a number of specialty practices, rehabilitation providers, and regional health systems. It is less consumer-facing than Healow or MyChart, which means the proxy access experience is highly dependent on how each individual practice has configured the system.

How MedConnect Proxy Access Works

The setup: MedConnect patient portals are branded at the practice level — you may see it as "Patient Connect" or a practice-specific name rather than "MedConnect." The underlying platform is the same, but the branding varies.

Proxy access in MedConnect is, again, practice-configured. Contact the medical records or health information department directly and ask for:

• Adult proxy or authorized representative access to your parent's patient portal
• Documentation requirements (typically a signed authorization or Medical Power of Attorney copy)

Once granted, you will receive a separate login. In some MedConnect configurations, the proxy account can view the full chart; in others, access is limited to scheduling and messaging.

When MedConnect is Used for Telehealth: Practices using MedConnect often link to an external telehealth platform. The appointment link may arrive via email or text separately from the portal. Clarify with the office whether appointment links go to the patient's email or can be forwarded to yours — this prevents your parent from being alone when the telehealth window opens.

Across All Three Platforms: What to Do Before the Telehealth Visit

Regardless of which portal your parent's practice uses, the steps to prepare for a telehealth appointment are the same.

48 hours before the visit:

• Confirm the appointment link arrives in an email account you can access (or that your parent can reliably open with your help)
• Test the video connection using the platform's test feature, if available
• Update the medication list in the portal to reflect any changes since the last visit

Day of the visit:

• Position your parent with light in front of them, not behind — backlighting makes it impossible for the doctor to assess their complexion or facial expressions
• Have physical medication bottles accessible for the "brown bag" medication review
• If your parent uses hearing aids, pair them directly to the tablet or computer via Bluetooth before the call starts to avoid audio feedback during the session

After the visit:

• Log in to the portal within 24 hours to review the visit summary and confirm that medication changes are accurately recorded
• Message the care team through the portal (not by phone) to ask any follow-up questions — this creates a documented record

Getting Records if Portal Access Is Denied

If a practice refuses to configure proxy access on any of these platforms, you are not without options. Under HIPAA, your parent has the right to:

• Authorize you to receive copies of their records in writing (a standard HIPAA Release of Information form)
• Designate you as a personal representative, which requires the practice to communicate with you directly

Present this in writing. If the practice continues to refuse to cooperate with legitimate caregiver coordination, your parent can file a complaint with the HHS Office for Civil Rights.

Simplify the Setup with a Step-by-Step System

Patient portals are just one layer of setting up effective telehealth care for an aging parent. Getting proxy access configured, devices set up for video calls, and the whole workflow running smoothly without a technical breakdown mid-appointment takes planning.

The Telehealth Parent Guide walks through the complete setup process — including a caregiver proxy checklist that works across portal platforms, device configuration for seniors with hearing aids and vision issues, and a pre-visit preparation system that takes five minutes to run through before every appointment. It's designed for adult children who are managing a parent's healthcare from a distance and need the whole system to work reliably, not just once but every time.