Ascension Healthcare cyberattack disrupting patient care
On May 8, Ascension Healthcare announced their clinical operations were disrupted by a “cyber security event”.
In yet another cyberattack on health care networks, Ascension Healthcare announced their clinical operations were disrupted on May 8 by a “cyber security event.” The health care nonprofit is still unsure about the extent of the damage, however, they are continuing to assess the impact of the disruption.
“Our care teams are trained for these kinds of disruptions and have initiated procedures to ensure patient care delivery continues to be safe and as minimally impacted as possible. There has been a disruption to clinical operations, and we continue to assess the impact and duration of the disruption,” Ascension released in a statement.
Ascension Healthcare includes 140 hospitals and 40 senior living facilities in 19 different states. The network suggested clients stay off the network while the company dives deeper into the attack.
“Together, we are working to fully investigate what information, if any, may have been affected by the situation,” Ascension said. “Should we determine that any sensitive information was affected, we will notify and support those individuals in accordance with all relevant regulatory and legal guidelines.”
Related: Change Health fails to fulfill software connection date promises
Ascension said they have enlisted Mandiant, a third party security expert, to “assist in the investigation and remediation process, and we have notified the appropriate authorities.”
This cyberattack is follows multiple attacks on Change Healthcare that endangered sensitive patient data, which led to a number of lawsuits from pharmacies and providers. Change Healthcare and UnitedHealth Group remain in the news for current lawsuits relating to their attack and failure to fulfill promises and fixes.
Ascension Health is expected to respond to this situation in the coming days.