Why contacting doctor through MyChart app may cost patients

There’s a big debate raging online over new medical charges popping up at local hospitals. Patients are being charged for asking questions online.

This all started on a Reddit thread that’s picked up hundreds of comments in the last 24 hours.

The person who started it says Houston Methodist charged them for asking their doctor questions in the MyChart app, and they warned others about what they called quote bogus charges.

Now, some people are pushing back. One user posted, “Does your question require a physician’s medical expertise to answer? If so, they should be compensated for their time. Period.”

Another said they hoped it would cut down on people wasting doctor’s time, adding, “Doctors are having extreme burnout, especially from inbox management… People think they can just message their doc for anything and often.”

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