Major Hospital Operator Ascension Experiences Cyber Security Disruption in Clinical Operations

Major hospital operator Ascension is currently facing a major disruption in its clinical operations and systems after a suspected cyber security event. The hospital system, which is one of the largest in Illinois with 150 care sites and 14 hospitals, including Ascension St. Francis in Evanston and Ascension Resurrection in Chicago, announced the disruption on Wednesday.

According to Ascension, the disruption was caused by unusual activity on select technology systems. The hospital operator has since initiated an investigation and activated remediation efforts, while advising business partners to temporarily suspend connections to its systems. The impact and duration of the disruption are still being assessed, with no timetable provided at this time.

A spokesperson for Ascension stated that locations in Illinois were experiencing IT service interruptions, but reassured the public that care teams are trained to handle such disruptions and are working to ensure patient care delivery continues safely and with minimal impact.

This incident comes as the latest in a series of cyber security events impacting major health care systems. Earlier this year, Lurie’s Children’s Hospital experienced a cybersecurity matter that brought down computer systems for months, while UnitedHealth Group also fell victim to a cyberattack, causing disruptions in medication filling and reimbursement for health-care providers.

As more information becomes available, this story will be updated to provide the latest developments on the situation at Ascension.