JACKSON, Miss. (AP) \u2014 A ransomware attack forced the University of Mississippi Medical Center to close all of its roughly three dozen clinics around the state and cancel elective procedures for a second day on Friday, hobbling one of the state\u2019s largest health care providers.<\/p>\n
University officials warned that the shutdown could continue for days as they try to evaluate the extent of the attack, including whether patients\u2019 sensitive information was compromised, and restore network systems they took down as a precaution.<\/p>\n
Richard Bell, 55, drove three hours from his home in Oxford the medical center\u2019s main campus in Jackson on Friday only to learn that he wouldn\u2019t be able to get his bloodwork or chemotherapy treatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was all shut down,\u201d Bell said. \u201cIt gets pretty frustrating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bell, who has a form of lymphoma, wasn\u2019t immediately able to reschedule the appointment. University officials said in a statement on Friday they were reaching out to patients who require time-sensitive treatments such as chemotherapy.<\/p>\n
Hospitals and emergency rooms remained open, and patients there were receiving proper care, the university said in the statement. Officials were still trying to figure out the extent of the infiltration, but Vice Chancellor LouAnn Woodward said at a news conference Thursday the attack affected \u201cmany systems,\u201d including the electronic health record platform. Health care providers were taking down information manually.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of us in the room have been here long enough that we remember taking care of patients with pen and paper,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Investigators are trying to determine whether patients\u2019 private information was accessed, Woodward said. <\/p>\n
She said the attackers had communicated with the university, but she did not disclose their demands. The university is working with the FBI. <\/p>\n
The FBI\u2019s top priority is getting systems back up to restore patient care, FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff said at Thursday\u2019s news conference. The agency\u2019s Jackson office said Friday that it couldn\u2019t comment further.<\/p>\n