UH websites remain offline one week after server breach

Residents of Cuyahoga County are still unable to access University Hospitals websites or the MyChart patient portal one week after a cybersecurity incident forced the system to go offline.

The hospital system detected unusual activity on its servers last Thursday. That discovery prompted staff to disconnect its websites and MyChart systems from the internet to contain the issue.

University Hospitals says its offices remain open for business. A statement from the system noted that the vast majority of appointments and procedures have continued as normal. The hospital apologized for the inconvenience and assured patients that care is proceeding.

Without digital reminders, doctors' offices are now calling patients directly to confirm upcoming visits. Some locations have struggled to connect to the UH network. Other patients have run into problems securing insurance pre-authorizations.

The system is working with outside experts to investigate the incident. Staff are working around the clock to restore the systems. An earlier statement confirmed that some appointments and elective procedures have been rescheduled while the issue is ongoing.

This incident follows a cyber-attack on Quest Diagnostics earlier this month. Quest provides outpatient laboratory services at University Hospitals. In a regulatory filing, Quest confirmed that certain patient records were accessed during its attack.