Mississippi hospital system’s cyberattack cancels surgeries and disrupts care

Patients in Mississippi are experiencing delays and cancellations of medical procedures following a cyberattack that disrupted the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s systems. The attack, which occurred Thursday morning, forced the hospital to shut down its electronic health records and other network systems, affecting operations statewide.

The disruption led to the cancelation of elective procedures, including a double mastectomy scheduled for Monday for Tara Wilson of Monticello. Wilson, who has Von Willebrand disease, has been waiting for the surgery for nine days and has now been unable to reschedule for a third time. She has been on unpaid leave from her job at Dollar General and faces financial hardship due to the delays, according to Wilson.

UMMC officials said specialized FBI teams and federal agencies are assisting with the investigation. The hospital has not disclosed details about the attackers or what information they may have accessed. UMMC’s IT infrastructure remains offline as the hospital conducts risk assessments before restoring systems. The hospital continues to operate its emergency and Level 1 trauma services manually.

Patients and staff reported chaos at the hospital’s Jackson location on Thursday, with delays in medication and disruptions to basic services like food. Peggy Sellars of Rolling Fork was at the hospital with her husband, who was recovering from back surgery. She described a scene of disorder but said operations had stabilized by the afternoon.

UMMC is working to establish alternative communication channels for routine and urgent care. A dedicated phone line for appointment rescheduling is in the works, but has not yet been announced. The hospital system includes seven hospitals and 35 clinics across Mississippi, serving more than 10,000 employees and 3,000 students, with an annual budget of approximately $2 billion.

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