The University of Mississippi Medical Center has suspended clinic operations and canceled appointments following a cybersecurity attack that disabled its statewide computer systems. While urgent care and emergency services remain available through manual paper-based protocols, officials are working with federal agencies to secure patient data and restore the network.
The University of Mississippi Medical Center is currently navigating a widespread system failure after a targeted cyberattack forced the institution to take its entire computer network offline. This shutdown has impacted every location tied to the state’s only academic medical center, leading to the immediate closure of all statewide clinics and the cancellation of non-essential appointments and elective procedures. Hospital leadership confirmed that the outage includes the electronic medical record system, which manages everything from patient histories and test results to billing and scheduling.
Despite the digital blackout, the medical center remains open for emergency cases and time-sensitive medical needs. Staff have transitioned to traditional manual methods, such as paper charting, to ensure that life-saving care continues without interruption. The facility’s Level 1 trauma center and emergency communication systems are designed to operate independently or through these backup protocols, allowing the hospital to fulfill its role as a critical healthcare provider for the region during the crisis.
The reach of the attack extends beyond the university's own halls, affecting county health departments that rely on the center's electronic infrastructure. While these local departments remain open, they have also been forced to revert to paper records to maintain their clinical services. University officials are currently establishing dedicated phone lines to help the thousands of affected patients manage their rescheduled care and receive updates on the status of the facilities.
Security teams are currently investigating the scope of the breach to determine if personal patient information was compromised. Administrators made the decision to proactively disconnect all systems to prevent further unauthorized access or data loss. While the university has confirmed that the attackers made contact following the initial breach, they have not publicly disclosed the nature of any demands. Federal authorities, including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, have been brought in to assist with the investigation and the recovery process.
There is currently no definitive timeline for when full digital operations will resume. The recovery process is expected to take several days as technical teams work to scrub the local servers that were the primary target of the hack. As one of the largest employers in the state with a multi-billion dollar budget and thousands of students, the medical center faces a significant challenge in restoring its vast network of seven hospitals and dozens of clinics to their normal capacity.
Source: Cyberattack Forces UMMC To Close Clinics, Cancel Appointments