Poway, Calif.-based Palomar Health Medical Group said it is getting ready to bring its systems back online after "suspicious activity" forced them offline in May, NBC affiliate KNSD reported June 12.
On June 12, Palomar Health sent a letter to patients saying its internet remains offline, but that it anticipates restoration in the coming week. Following this, Palomar Health stated it aims to resume operations for its EMR system.
"This will improve the ability to contact your provider's office, schedule appointments, get prescription refills electronically managed, and allow providers to have full electronic access to lab and radiology reports right in the electronic system again," the hospital said in the letter.
On May 5, Palomar Health detected suspicious activity on certain computer systems within its network and took affected systems offline to prevent the spread of any potential malware. The outage affected Palomar's phones, faxes and patient portal.
Palomar Health did not disclose whether the incident was a data breach or ransomware attack.
The Palomar Health Healthcare District, which encompasses Palomar Medical Center Poway (Calif.) and Palomar Medical Center Escondido (Calif.), was not affected by the incident.