CLEVELAND — University Hospitals has issued a new statement Monday night addressing the ongoing disruptions caused by a cybersecurity incident.
In the update posted on the hospital system's social media pages, UH says its call center is "experiencing unusually high call volumes," and asks patients not to call to verify their appointments.
"Thank you for your patience as University Hospitals works to re-establish MyChart access for our patients. Our hospitals, emergency departments and physician offices remain open, and our caregivers continue to provide safe care every day," UH said. "We are experiencing unusually high call volumes in our call center. Please do not call to verify an appointment. We are working to increase our call center capabilities to manage incoming calls and continue the highest level of service to our patients."
Last week, an internal letter sent to employees detailed problems with electronic prescriptions and its MyChart patient portal. The letter, obtained by 3News Senior Health Correspondent Monica Robins from a UH staff member, said the health system was adjusting its workflows to continue providing care while affected systems remain unavailable.
The digital services outage began Oct. 23, when UH said it detected unusual activity on its servers and quickly disconnected its systems from the internet.
In most cases, patients have seen no change in the care they receive. A source told Robins that nearly 97% of appointments and procedures have successfully gone forward.
"If you already have an appointment, please keep your scheduled appointment," UH said on Monday. "Depending on your appointment type, you may receive an automated confirmation from University Hospitals. In the unlikely event we need to reschedule your appointment, we will contact you."
UH has not provided a timeline for when all systems will be restored.
University Hospitals says patients can schedule appointments with the Home Health, Radiology or Behavioral Health departments, as well as seek information related to prescriptions, lab results, billing and MyChart, here.
Electronic prescriptions, MyChart remain affected
Electronic prescribing of medications was not working as of late last week, according to the letter. UH said it was adjusting its processes to include written prescriptions, faxed prescriptions and telephone refills.
Patients also remain unable to access MyChart, the health system’s online patient portal. UH said it is calling patients to remind them of upcoming appointments.
“We are reminding patients of upcoming appointments the old fashioned way — we're calling them,” the letter states.
The disruption is also affecting telehealth visits. With MyChart unavailable, UH says patients should be offered alternatives to a MyChart visit in the following order: an in-person appointment, a Zoom visit or a telephone visit.
UH says payroll is continuing
The letter also addressed payroll, saying employees who were scheduled to be paid Friday have received their pay.
UH expects its Nov. 5 payroll to go forward as well, according to the letter.
Previous Reporting:
- University Hospitals details ongoing disruptions amid cybersecurity incident
- University Hospitals says patients should still come to appointments amid cybersecurity incident
- University Hospitals confirms cybersecurity incident as MyChart remains unavailable
- University Hospitals disconnects online systems after detecting 'unusual activity' on servers