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2.6 million files inaccessible in URMC archives

URMC says it's working to restore access to 2.6 million files that are inaccessible after an IT mishap.
University of Rochester Medical Center
URMC says it's working to restore access to 2.6 million files that are inaccessible after an IT mishap.

The University of Rochester Medical Center said an incident on May 14 caused it to lose the paths to 2.6 million files stored on one of its archival servers.

According to a statement from spokesman Chip Partner, no electronic medical records were affected, and no personal health information was lost.

URMC says it's trying to recover the data, which accounts for about 4 percent of what's stored in its digital archive. None of the files that disappeared had been accessed in the six months prior to their deletion, the university said.

According to a report in the Democrat and Chronicle, the mishap occured when an IT worker cleared pointers, which serve as the map to find and open a document. He thought those pointers were no longer needed.

No one realized there was a problem until tech workers started getting calls from the medical center saying they could see the files they wanted but couldn’t get them to open.

The university has since changed its data storage system "to ensure that a similar loss of archived files cannot occur again," Partner said.

Brett was the health reporter and a producer at WXXI News. He has a master’s degree from the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism.