Ascension Hospital Faces Ongoing Cybersecurity Incident Aftermath

Ascension Hospital is still reeling from a massive nationwide cyber-attack that has left many of its systems unavailable. The health system, which posted an update on Thursday evening, is currently in the process of investigating and restoring their systems, but they do not have a timeline for completion.

Among the systems that are currently down are the electronic health records system, MyChart (which allows patients to view their medical records and communicate with their providers), some phone systems, and various systems used to order tests, procedures, and medications. As a result, several hospitals are on diversion for emergency medical services, and non-emergent elective procedures, tests, and appointments have been paused.

An ER doctor within the southeast Michigan system revealed that they have been informed to expect the systems to be down for the next two weeks, forcing them to manually dispense medications for patients. Despite the challenges, some patients have praised the staff for their helpfulness and care during this difficult time.

Scott Bailey, a data security expert with N1 Discovery, emphasized the severity of the situation, noting that threat actors may still have access to Ascension’s systems and could potentially be putting backdoors in place. The extent of the breach and its impact on patient data and privacy is still being assessed.

As Ascension Hospital continues to navigate the aftermath of this cyber-attack, patients are advised to bring necessary documentation to their appointments and remain patient as the health system works to restore its operations.