A cyberattack forces a big US health system to divert ambulances and take records offline (2024)

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A cyberattack on the Ascension health system operating in 19 states across the U.S. forced some of its 140 hospitals to divert ambulances, caused patients to postpone medical tests and blocked online access to patient records.

An Ascension spokesperson said it detected “unusual activity” Wednesday on its computer network systems. Officials refused to say whether the non-profit Catholic health system, based in St. Louis, was the victim of a ransomware attack or whether it had paid a ransom, and it did not immediately respond to an email seeking updates.

But the attack had the hallmarks of a ransomware, and Ascension said it had called in Mandiant, the Google cybersecurity unit that is a leading responder to such attacks. Earlier this year, a cyberattack on Change Healthcare disrupted care systems nationwide, and the CEO of its parent, UnitedHealth Group Inc., acknowledged in testimony to Congress that it had paid a ransom of $22 million in bitcoin.

Ascension said that both its electronic records system and the MyChart system that gives patients access to their records and allows them to communicate with their doctors were offline.

“We have determined this is a cybersecurity incident,” the national Ascension spokesperson’s statement said. “Our investigation and restoration work will take time to complete, and we do not have a timeline for completion.”

To prevent the automated spread of ransomware, hospital IT officials typically take electronic medical records and appointment-scheduling systems offline. UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty told congressional committees that Change Healthcare immediately disconnected from other systems to prevent the attack from spreading during its incident.

The Ascension spokesperson’s latest statement, issued Thursday, said ambulances had been diverted from “several” hospitals without naming them.

In Wichita, Kansas, local news reports said the local emergency medical services started diverting all ambulance calls from its hospitals there Wednesday, though the health system’s spokesperson there said Friday that the full diversion of ambulances ended Thursday afternoon.

The EMS service for Pensacola, Florida, also diverted patients from the Ascension hospital there to other hospitals, its spokesperson told the Pensacola News Journal.

And WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee reported that Ascension patients in the area said they were missing CT scans and mammograms and couldn’t refill prescriptions.

Connie Smith, president of the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, is among the Ascension providers turning to paper records this week to cope. Smith, who coordinates surgeries at Ascension St. Francis Hospital in Milwaukee, said the hospital didn’t cancel any surgical procedures and continued treating emergency patients.

But she said everything has slowed down because electronic systems are built into the hospital’s daily operations. Younger providers are often unfamiliar with paper copies of essential records and it takes more time to document patient care, check the results of prior lab tests and verify information with doctors’ offices, she said.

Smith said union leaders feel staff and service cutbacks have made the situation even tougher. Hospital staff also have received little information about what led to the attack or when operations might get closer to normal, she said.

“You’re doing everything to the best of your ability but you leave feeling frustrated because you know you could have done things faster or gotten that patient home sooner if you just had some extra hands,” Smith said.

Ascension said its system expected to use “downtime” procedures “for some time” and advised patients to bring notes on their symptoms and a list of prescription numbers or prescription bottles with them to appointments.

Cybersecurity experts say ransomware attacks have increased substantially in recent years, especially in the health care sector. Increasingly, ransomware gangs steal data before activating data-scrambling malware that paralyzes networks. The threat of making stolen data public is used to extort payments. That data can also be sold online.

“We are working around the clock with internal and external advisors to investigate, contain, and restore our systems,” the Ascension spokesperson’s latest statement said.

The attack against Change Healthcare earlier this year delayed insurance reimbursem*nts and heaped stress on doctor’s offices around the country. Change Healthcare provides technology used by doctor offices and other care providers to submit and process billions of insurance claims a year.

It was unclear Friday whether the same group was responsible for both attacks.

Witty said Change Healthcare’s core systems were now fully functional. But company officials have said it may take several months of analysis to identify and notify those who were affected by the attack.

They also have said they see no signs that doctor charts or full medical histories were released after the attack. Witty told senators that UnitedHealth repels an attempted intrusion every 70 seconds.

A ransomware attack in November prompted the Ardent Health Services system, operating 30 hospitals in six states, to divert patients from some of its emergency rooms to other hospitals while postponing certain elective procedures.

___

Murphy reported from Indianapolis and Foody reported from Chicago.

A cyberattack forces a big US health system to divert ambulances and take records offline (2024)

FAQs

A cyberattack forces a big US health system to divert ambulances and take records offline? ›

(AP) — A cyberattack on the Ascension health system operating in 19 states across the U.S. forced some of its 140 hospitals to divert ambulances, caused patients to postpone medical tests and blocked online access to patient records.

What is an example of a cyber attack within the United States? ›

The SolarWinds attack is considered one of the most serious cyber espionage attacks on the United States, because it successfully breached the US military, many US-based federal agencies, including agencies responsible for nuclear weapons, critical infrastructure services, and a majority of Fortune 500 organizations.

What type of cyber attack are hospitals particularly vulnerable to? ›

Hackers can target healthcare professionals through phishing because individual associates often have access to highly valuable protected health information, also known as PHI.

What is cyber attack in disaster management? ›

A cyber attack is any malicious attempt to gain unauthorized access to a computer, computing system or computer network with the intent to cause damage. Cyber attacks aim to disable, disrupt, destroy or control computer systems or to alter, block, delete, manipulate or steal the data held within these systems.

What is the largest cyber attack on us? ›

The data breach of Yahoo is one of the worst and most infamous cases of a known cyberattack and currently holds the record for the most people affected. The first attack occurred in 2013, and many more would continue over the next three years.

What is the major cyber attack in 2024? ›

Change Healthcare, the biggest operator of health payment processing in the US and a subsidiary of healthcare giant UnitedHealth was hit by a massive cyberattack in February 2024. For several weeks, healthcare staff in practices across the US were not able to receive payments from patients.

Has there ever been a cyber attack on a hospital? ›

A major US health care system said Thursday that it is diverting ambulances from “several” of its hospitals following a cyberattack this week.

Who is most at risk for cyber attacks? ›

Professional, business, and consumer services include a wide spectrum, including law firms, marketing agencies, consulting services, and more. Since these kinds of organizations work with data (often sensitive), they are a prime target for cybercriminals.

What is the biggest threat to health information system security? ›

Phishing: The #1 (Preventable) Threat to Health Data Security in 2024.

What is the emergency plan for a cyber attack? ›

What Is a Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan? A written and systematic approach that establishes procedures and documentation. An Incident Response Plan is a written document that helps your organization before, during, and after a security incident.

What is cyber security in emergency management? ›

Basic Information. Cyber security, also referred to as information technology security, focuses on protecting computers, networks, programs and data from unintended or unauthorized access, change or destruction.

What are the top cybercrimes in USA? ›

Bulk phishing, smishing, and business e-mail compromise (BEC) are the most common types. In 2022, 85 percent of the surveyed worldwide organizations reported encountering bulk phishing attacks, while roughly three in four were targeted by smishing scams.

Is the USA under a cyber attack? ›

Foreign hackers are increasingly targeting U.S. infrastructure across vital services, from transportation to food supply and health care. In February, the FBI warned Congress that Chinese hackers have burrowed deep into the United States' cyber infrastructure in an attempt to cause damage.

What is a real life example of cyber security? ›

What are examples of cyber security? Network security examples include firewalls that prevent illegal access to a network and antivirus. Antispyware software and VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) are other examples used for secure remote access.

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