Beaumont Health Upgrades Servers After COVID-19 Vaccine Overload

ROYAL OAK, MI — Beaumont Health has more than tripled its server capacity after it said it experienced overwhelming demand for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Thousands of patients attempted to sign up for a myBeaumontChart account on Friday after Beaumont announced it would soon begin vaccinating people age 65 and older, the health system said in a news release.

“In the health care information technology space, having thousands of patients trying to register at once is unprecedented and our servers were maxed out," Beaumont Health Chief Information Officer Hans Keil said. "It’s similar to what happens when people try to purchase concert tickets as soon as they go on sale and everyone cannot get through at the same time. I’m proud we more than tripled our capacity so quickly. We are rapidly working to add even more.”

Don't miss important updates from health and government officials on the impact of the coronavirus in Michigan. Sign up for Patch's daily newsletters and email alerts.

The hospital said that it processes about 900 new myBeaumontChart accounts on a typical day. But on Friday, while nearly 9,000 people activated accounts, thousands of others could not access the website. At one point, more than 25,000 users simultaneously attempted to register for myBeaumontChart, according to the hospital.

Nearly 1 million patients have myBeaumontChart, which the hospital said is a secure online health portal that connects people with their health records, medical test information and appointments. Over the next few months, Beaumont will email personal invitations to patients via myBeaumontChart to schedule an appointment when they become eligible for the vaccine based on the state’s criteria and as doses become available, according to the news release.

“We are thrilled to see this kind of interest in the vaccine," Keil said. "Our staff will continue to monitor our systems and expand capacity as needed. The vaccine is our ticket out of this pandemic, and our Beaumont team will do whatever we can to get as many people vaccinated as possible."

Beaumont said it can currently vaccinate more than 3,200 people per day at the Beaumont Service Center in Southfield and the health system plans to expand to additional sites soon.

Read More: Here's Who's Eligible For The COVID-19 Vaccine In Michigan Monday