UMMC closes clinics statewide after cyberattack
UMMC said Feb. 19 that many of its information technology systems are down after a cybersecurity attack, including access to its electronic medical record system, Epic. The health system said all UMMC clinic locations statewide are closed and that outpatient and ambulatory surgeries, procedures and imaging appointments have been canceled and will be rescheduled.
The medical center said hospital services are continuing for patients using established downtime procedures while IT systems remain offline. The notice was posted on UMMC’s Facebook page and did not provide a timeline for restoration of full services.
Epic is an electronic health record platform used by numerous hospitals and clinics to manage patient charts, scheduling and test results. Health systems typically move to paper-based or other contingency workflows when electronic systems are unavailable, a step officials say is intended to preserve patient safety and continuity of care.
The disruption affects patients with scheduled outpatient care and could delay diagnostic testing and routine procedures until appointments are rescheduled. UMMC did not provide further details about the nature of the cybersecurity incident or any impact on patient data. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
