University of Mississippi Medical Center reopens clinics after ransomware attack - Healthcare Dive

DIVE BRIEF University of Mississippi Medical Center reopens clinics after ransomware attack The academic medical center’s clinics can once again access patient records and are resuming normal operations more than a week after the attack. Published Feb. 23, 2026 • Updated March 2, 2026 Emily Olsen Reporter Share License Add us on Google The University of Mississippi Medical Center has closed its clinics across the state through Tuesday after a ransomware attack curtailed operations last week. Getty Images Listen to the article 3 min UPDATE: March 2, 2026: The University of Mississippi Medical Center is reopening its clinics across the state Monday, more than a week after a ransomware attack forced the academic medical center to curtail operations. UMMC first closed its clinics after a cyberattack in late February took its Epic electronic health record system offline and restricted access to phone and email. But now that the health system can once again access patient records, its clinics will resume normal operations, UMMC said in a Friday statement shared on Facebook. The clinics will also begin reaching out to patients to reschedule cancelled appointments, and will operate under extended hours to accommodate as many patients as possible, UMMC said. Dive Brief: The University of Mississippi Medical Center has closed its clinics across the state through Tuesday due to a ransomware attack, the provider said in a statement Saturday.  However, UMMC’s hospitals and emergency departments in Jackson, Grenada, Madison County and Holmes County will remain open, the health system said. Clinic appointments and elective procedures will be rescheduled when possible.  UMMC’s clinics first shut down on Thursday after the academic medical center was hit by the cyberattack, which took its Epic electronic health record offline, according to a UMMC post on Facebook.  Dive Insight:  UMMC, which operates seven hospitals, is Mississippi’s only academic medical center. The health system is working with federal authorities — including the FBI — and other national experts to respond to the attack, according to a Friday statement. The cyberattack removed or restricted access to phone and email systems, but UMMC is working with a third-party vendor to send communications to patients, the health system said. For inpatient operations, UMMC has moved to downtime procedures, including documenting care and sending orders on paper, Dr. LouAnn Woodward, UMMC’s vice chancellor for health affairs and top executive, said in a statement Friday.  The academic medical center is also working to schedule appointments for patients who need time-sensitive care, like chemotherapy.  “To use a medical phrase — we have stopped the bleeding. And while we know much more now than we did 24 hours ago, the extent and the scope of the intrusion is still not fully understood,” Woodward said.  Ransomware, a type of malware that denies users access to their data until a ransom is paid, can be a serious threat to health systems. The attacks can take critical technology offline, forcing hospitals to delay care or send emergency cases to other facilities.  Some providers also report an increase in mortality rates in the wake of an attack, and sensitive patient data can be exposed. Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting the healthcare sector in part due to the high value of medical records on the dark web, experts say. Returning to normal operations after an attack can be slow, too. Only 22% of healthcare organizations fully recovered from a ransomware attack in less than a week, while nearly 40% took more than a month, according to a 2024 survey by cybersecurity firm Sophos.  RECOMMENDED READING Healthcare is an ‘easy victim’ for ransomware attacks. How hospitals can mitigate the damage. By Emily Olsen • July 18, 2024 Hacking, ransomware driving more healthcare data breaches: study By Emily Olsen • May 20, 2025 Tracking healthcare data breaches By Emily Olsen, Susanna Vogel • Updated March 16, 2026 Add us on Google Share PURCHASE LICENSING RIGHTS Filed Under: Hospitals, Health IT