UPDATE: 4:00 p.m.: In an update, UMMC said its clinics statewide will remain closed Friday, Feb. 20, and elective procedures are canceled. The medical center said appointments will be rescheduled.
UMMC said the dialysis clinic at the Jackson Medical Mall is the exception and will remain operational for scheduled appointments.
The medical center said its hospitals and emergency departments will remain open during the incident unless it announces otherwise.
UMMC also said in-person classes will continue as scheduled, but online classes are canceled for Friday.
UMMC apologized for the disruption and said teams are working to restore systems and services as quickly as possible.
UPDATE, 11 a.m.: University of Mississippi Medical Center officials said a cyberattack early Thursday forced the hospital system to shut down its IT network, cancel clinics and elective procedures, and operate under emergency downtime procedures while federal authorities investigate.
Hospital leaders said the attack impacted multiple systems, including the center’s electronic medical record platform, Epic. As a precaution, all IT systems were taken offline while risk assessments are conducted.
“We have triggered our emergency operations plan,” Vice Chancellor Dr. LouAnn Woodward said during a news conference. “This impacts all medical center locations.”
Clinics and elective procedures scheduled for Thursday were canceled and will be rescheduled. Hospital officials said patients currently admitted, including those in the emergency department and critical care units, continue to receive care. Clinical equipment remains functional, though staff are operating without access to the electronic medical record system.
“We know how to take care of patients without an EMR,” Associate Vice Chancellor Dr. Alan Jones said. “At the point of care, all of our processes are intact. All of our equipment works. Patients are being cared for safely.”
Officials said emergency and urgent surgeries will proceed, but non-urgent procedures — such as routine clinic visits, lab draws and certain scheduled surgeries — are being postponed to reduce strain on operations.
The hospital confirmed the attackers have communicated with officials, though no details were released about the nature of the attack or whether patient data was compromised. Leaders said it is too early to determine the full scope of the breach or how long systems will remain offline.
Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Robert Eickhoff said the agency is working alongside the medical center and other partners to assess the situation and assist with recovery.
“It’s too early for us to communicate what we do and don’t know,” Eickhoff said. “We are in the process of surging resources, both locally and nationally, into this incident to make sure that we are standing alongside with UMMC and their vendors as we look to understand the extent of this attack.”
Eickhoff said the FBI’s priority is helping the medical center restore systems and continue providing services to patients.
Hospital officials said they have notified Homeland Security and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and have coordinated with local hospitals, health systems and ambulance providers.
UMMC’s MedCom emergency communications system remains operational through dedicated resources designed to function independently during emergencies, officials said.
The cyberattack was discovered early Thursday morning when one of the hospital’s IT systems began malfunctioning, prompting an internal investigation and immediate shutdown of electronic applications.
Officials said they will not restore systems until risk assessments confirm it is safe to do so.
In-person classes for students will continue as scheduled.
Hospital leaders said additional information will be released as it becomes available.
JACKSON – The University of Mississippi Medical Center said Thursday that a cybersecurity attack has taken many of its information technology systems offline, including access to its electronic medical records system, Epic.
In a public notice dated Feb. 19, UMMC said all of its clinic locations statewide are closed for the day.
UMMC said outpatient and ambulatory surgeries and procedures, along with imaging appointments, have been canceled and will be rescheduled.
Hospital services are continuing using downtime procedures, the medical center said.
UMMC said it will provide additional updates as more information becomes available and apologized for the disruption.