University Hospitals takes digital services offline after finding unusual server activity

CLEVELAND, Ohio — University Hospitals disconnected its systems from the internet after detecting unusual activity on its servers Thursday, disrupting digital services that the health system said could remain offline for several days.

UH said there is currently no impact on patient care delivery. Its MyChart patient portal appeared to remain unavailable Friday morning, and its website displayed a warning that limited services were available.

The health system disconnected its systems as a precaution, according to a statement provided by a UH spokesperson.

“We are working around the clock to address the issue, but anticipate digital service disruptions may continue for the few days,” the spokesperson said.

The statement did not identify all affected services or say whether patient information had been accessed.

Quest Diagnostics, which offers outpatient laboratory services at UH locations, disclosed a cybersecurity incident this week. UH has not confirmed whether the incidents are connected.

During Quest’s Thursday earnings call, Chief Financial Officer Sam Samad said the company learned Wednesday of unauthorized access to a test-ordering system used by certain clients who do not use electronic medical records.

“This incident has not materially disrupted our business operations or our ability to serve physicians and patients,” Samad said.

He said the investigation was in its early stages and declined to provide additional details.

In an update posted Friday morning, Quest identified the affected system as Quanum Lab Services Manager, which certain clients use to order tests and retrieve results. The company said it paused access after discovering the incident.

Quest said personal information and patient records were affected, but investigators were still determining which patients and information were involved. The company said it would notify affected patients as required by law and provide information resources, including credit and identity monitoring.

Access to Quest’s Essential Insights and LabHQ systems was also temporarily paused as a precaution, though the company said no data was accessed in those systems.

Providers who order tests through electronic medical records or direct laboratory interfaces could continue using those unaffected connections, Quest said. Quanum LSM clients could use paper requisitions or the company’s eLabs system to place orders and obtain results.

Quest said it did not expect delays for clients who had not used Quanum LSM.

The company notified federal law enforcement and hired outside cybersecurity experts to assist with its investigation, according to a Thursday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.