UH patients wait 20 minutes on hold as cyber outage persists
Two weeks after detecting a security breach, University Hospitals says online tools like MyChart remain offline, forcing patients to manage care by phone.
By Samantha Reed ·
Patients at University Hospitals in Cleveland report wait times of up to 20 minutes just to reach a live operator. The delays have accumulated over the last 15 days, a period marked by a persistent disruption to the hospital system's digital infrastructure.
The outage began on October 22 when University Hospitals detected unusual activity on its servers. As a precautionary measure, the health system disconnected its networks from the internet. Officials are still investigating the incident, and the disconnection has left many digital services unavailable.
Stephen Bloomfield, a lifelong patient of the system, noted the length of the disruption. He stated that he has never experienced a technical failure lasting this long. His bank, Wi-Fi, and email services typically resolve issues within hours. In contrast, his access to medical records has been severed for over two weeks.
Bloomfield can no longer view visit notes, renew prescriptions online, or message physicians through MyChart. He also reported difficulties with claims processing and scheduling future appointments. The reliance on phone lines has created a bottleneck. He described a specific instance where he listened to hold music for 20 minutes before an agent answered the phone.
In a statement dated November 5, University Hospitals confirmed that all hospitals, emergency departments, and physician offices remain open and fully operational. The system stated that the vast majority of appointments and procedures are continuing as scheduled. Patients with existing appointments were told to keep them without calling for confirmation.
For those needing to make changes, UH directs patients to specific phone lines. New appointments require a call to 1-866-UH4-CARE. Prescription status checks should be directed to the patient's pharmacy. Bill payments can be sent via mail or made by calling 1-800-859-5906. UH said MyChart bill pay functionality will return once the system is fully restored.
The health system warned patients to remain vigilant for scams during the outage. UH stated it will never call, text, or email patients to request passwords or full Social Security numbers. The system acknowledged that call centers are experiencing unusually high volume and is working to increase capacity to manage the incoming traffic. University Hospitals has not provided a specific timeline for when all affected digital services will be fully restored.
