CLEVELAND, Ohio — Patients at University Hospitals can once again access their medical records through MyChart, marking a major step in the health care system’s recovery after a cybersecurity incident that disrupted its online systems for more than two weeks.
UH announced Saturday that MyChart had been restored, allowing patients to use the online portal again. MyChart had been inaccessible since Oct. 22, when the health system disconnected its computer systems from the Internet after detecting unusual activity on its servers.
“This is an important milestone,” UH said in a statement Saturday. “For many of our patients and the general public, the availability of MyChart is a sign that UH has recovered from the cybersecurity incident.”
The health system warned that some patients may experience delays in posting new test results and other information as UH works to reconcile and update data.
But as of Sunday, the only part of the site still out of service was the “bill payment” area, a spokesperson said. Bill payment issues should be resolved this week.
The restoration comes two days after UH said patients still cannot use MyChart to access lab results, check prescriptions, pay bills or schedule and change appointments.
The outage forced patients to call the hospital system for many services normally available online, leading to high call volume. UH had said it was working to increase its calling capacity while MyChart remained unavailable.
Health care providers, however, were able to access patient records internally throughout the disruption, and UH said its hospitals, emergency departments and doctors’ offices remained open.
The health system previously said the vast majority of appointments and procedures continued despite the disruptions.
“Patients see virtually no impact on the level of care they receive,” UH said in an Oct. 28 news release. “Teaching hospitals remain open for business and serving the community. »
UH had also called patients to remind them of upcoming appointments when the online portal was unavailable.
The disruption began Oct. 22, when UH said it detected unusual activity on its servers and systems disconnected from the Internet. Cybersecurity experts and law enforcement investigated the incident.
UH did not provide additional details about the nature of the cybersecurity incident.
The health system previously warned patients to be alert for suspicious calls or messages from people claiming to represent doctors’ offices. UH said it will not call, text or email patients to ask for sensitive personal information such as passwords or Social Security numbers.
In announcing the return of MyChart, UH described the restoration of the patient portal as an important sign of progress, while acknowledging that its restoration work continues.
“This will allow us to more easily communicate with patients, obtain test results and return to providing the type of care our patients have relied on for 160 years,” UH said.
The health system also thanked patients for their patience during the disruption and employees who continued to treat patients while others worked to restore IT services.
“We are extremely grateful for the patience of the people and community we serve as we work through this cybersecurity incident,” UH said.
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