UNM Health System Halts In‑Person Visits After Cybersecurity Incident Forces Hospital to Divert Patients

The University of New Mexico Health System announced Thursday that its flagship hospital in Albuquerque will not accept walk‑in patients and that more than 30 outpatient clinics have been forced to cancel appointments, citing a cybersecurity problem that disrupted its computer networks.

Administrators issued a public advisory urging patients to seek care elsewhere unless they have a life‑threatening emergency, and they instructed staff to reroute incoming calls and referrals to nearby facilities. The directive applies to the university's main medical center as well as a network of specialty clinics that serve a large portion of the state's population.

Hospital officials declined to provide technical details, but said the incident compromised the ability to access electronic health records, schedule software, and billing systems. Without reliable access to patient data, clinicians cannot safely admit new cases or provide routine outpatient services, prompting the decision to divert non‑critical traffic.

Cyberattacks on health‑care providers have risen sharply in recent years, driven by ransomware groups that target vulnerable IT environments. When systems are encrypted or rendered unusable, hospitals often must suspend operations to contain the breach and protect patient privacy. The UNM incident mirrors similar disruptions seen at other major institutions, underscoring the sector's growing exposure to digital threats.

State health officials are monitoring the situation and have urged other hospitals to verify the integrity of their networks. They also emphasized that emergency services remain operational at the Albuquerque campus, and that patients with urgent needs should call 911 or use the regional trauma center.

The university has pledged to restore full services as quickly as possible, noting that IT teams are working around the clock with external security consultants. While the exact timeline for reopening the closed clinics remains uncertain, administrators said they will provide regular updates and prioritize the resumption of critical specialty care once systems are verified secure.