The University of Mississippi Medical Center has restored its phone lines following a ransomware attack that disrupted operations for more than a week, the health care provider announced Monday.
“UMMC phone lines are now working, and we are calling patients to reschedule missed appointments,” a social media post from UMMC said. “If you need to reach us, please call your clinic or our main lines. Thank you for your support as we work to recover and provide care for patients at all our locations.”
The announcement comes after UMMC was the subject of a cyberattack on the morning of Feb. 19. Systems such as the website, phone lines, email, and its patient medical record were taken offline, whether by the attackers or by UMMC out of precaution.
On Friday, UMMC’s website began operating again with a banner that noted “some website functionality may not be available.” The provider announced the same day that its 35 clinics statewide would reopen Monday morning. Hospital services in Jackson, Grenada, Madison County and Holmes County continued during the outage using paper records.
It remains unclear how UMMC was able to restore services after its vice chancellor of health affairs, Dr. LouAnn Woodward, said during an interview on Mornings with Richard Cross last Tuesday that they had received demands from the attackers.
Both the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, along with state and other federal partners and experts, are investigating the case.
Officials have not said whether patient data was compromised in the attack.
UMMC is one of Mississippi’s largest health care providers, operating seven hospitals, 35 clinics, and nearly 200 telehealth sites.