University Hospitals Extends Network Outage Past Two-Week Mark

University Hospitals in Cleveland has extended its network disruption past 14 days without providing a specific timeline for the full restoration of its digital platforms. The outage, which began on October 22, has forced the health system to keep its servers disconnected from the internet while it investigates the incident. As of November 5, the system reported that all hospitals, emergency departments, and physician offices remain open and fully operational, though digital access remains limited.

The incident started when the system detected unusual activity on its servers on October 22. University Hospitals immediately disconnected its systems from the internet as a precautionary measure. More than two weeks later, online services including MyChart, prescription information, test results, and online bill pay remain unavailable. The hospital system stated in an updated statement on November 5 that it is working to manage the situation, but it has not announced a date for when digital services will return.

Patients are currently relying on phone calls for routine tasks that were previously handled online. Stephen Bloomfield, a lifelong patient of the system, described the difficulties of managing his healthcare during the outage. He reported that he could not access visit notes, renew prescriptions, or message physicians through the MyChart portal. Bloomfield noted that he faced a 20-minute wait on hold while listening to music before an agent answered the phone. He said the duration of the outage has exceeded the downtime he has experienced with other major services.

"I've never had anything that's gone on quite this long," Bloomfield said. "My bank, my Wi-Fi or email, none of this stuff ever lasts more than a few hours." He added that he would like to see more frequent updates from the hospital system regarding when services might be restored, citing a need for better honesty and timeliness in their communications.

University Hospitals acknowledged that its call centers are experiencing unusually high volumes of incoming calls. The system is working to increase capacity to handle the traffic. Patients who already have appointments are instructed to keep them without calling to confirm. For those needing to schedule new appointments, make changes, or check on prescriptions, the system directs them to specific phone numbers or their local pharmacies. Patients who need to pay bills can send payments via USPS or call 1-800-859-5906, option 1, to make a payment over the phone.

The health system warned patients to be alert for scams during the disruption. University Hospitals stated it will never call, text, or email patients asking for sensitive personal information, including passwords or full Social Security numbers. Anyone who receives a suspicious call or message is advised not to respond and should contact their doctor's office directly. The system noted that patients will be able to resume paying bills through MyChart once the system is restored.

The system provided specific phone numbers for different departments to help patients navigate the outage. For new appointments, patients should call 1-866-UH4-CARE. Home Healthcare visits can be scheduled by calling 1-216-844-HOME. Behavioral Health visits are scheduled by calling 1-216-844-2400, and Radiology appointments are handled by calling 1-216-844-1700. For lab results from Quest Diagnostics, patients are directed to log in to their MyQuest account or create one if they do not already have it.

University Hospitals emphasized that caregivers continue to provide safe, high-quality care. The system stated that if it needs to reschedule an appointment, it will contact the patient directly. In the unlikely event a patient needs to change an existing appointment, they should call the main scheduling line. The hospital system has not provided a specific timeline for when all affected digital services, including MyChart, will be fully restored.