"}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Is Ascension Health losing money?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"St. Louis-based Ascension continues to improve its operating performance and aims to ensure long-term sustainability for the health system on the back of a $3 billion operating loss in fiscal year 2023."}}]}}

A cyberattack forces a big US health system to divert ambulances and take records offline (2025)

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.

24/7 New York news stream: Watch NBC 4 free wherever you are

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.

Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.

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

U.S. & World

Atlantic Ocean2 hours ago

Titanic expedition yields lost bronze statue, high-resolution photos and other discoveries

Philippines4 hours ago

Storm sets off floods and landslides in Philippines, leaving at least 9 dead

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.

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.

At two Wichita hospitals, staffers were forced to use pen and paper and announce medical emergencies over the PA system because their pagers were down, a spokesperson representing the union covering those hospitals' employees told The Wichita Eagle.

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.

In the Change Healthcare cyberattack earlier this year, hackers entered a server that lacked multifactor authentication, a basic form of security. It was not clear Friday whether the same group was responsible for the Ascension attack.

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

After hackers gained access in February, they unleashed a ransomware attack that encrypted and froze large parts of the company’s system.

Witty said the company’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 said the company, which UnitedHealth acquired in 2022, used data centers for some of its storage, but it would be moving into more secure cloud storage.

Witty told senators UnitedHealth is “consistently” under attack. He said his company 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. It also suspended user access to information technology applications such as software used to document patient care.

A cyberattack forces a big US health system to divert ambulances and take records offline (2025)

FAQs

What is the cyber attack on the ambulance service? ›

According to a data breach notice, the ambulance service, which was a division of Transformative Healthcare, fell victim to a cyberattack on Feb 17, 2023. Even though the medical transportation company closed shop in December of 2022, the hackers managed to access a copy of Fallon's data storage archive.

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

In the wake of a debilitating cyberattack against one of the nation's largest health care systems, Marvin Ruckle, a nurse at an Ascension hospital in Wichita, Kansas, said he had a frightening experience: He nearly gave a baby “the wrong dose of narcotic” because of confusing paperwork.

What happened in the Ascension health Cyber Attack? ›

Ascension was hacked after worker mistakenly downloaded malicious file. Unclear how many patients' data exposed. More than a month since it was targeted by a ransomware attack, national health system Ascension is disclosing more information about the attack.

Did Ascension healthcare pay the ransom? ›

UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty confirmed the company paid a $22 million ransom in bitcoin to protect personal health information.

Why do cyber attackers target hospitals? ›

Health records and other patient-related information are vital to the operation of a healthcare facility and also entices some of the best hackers looking to make a large sum. This sensitive data is in high demand on the black market and many hospitals opt to pay ransoms given the life-or-death stakes they often face.

What is EMS cyber security? ›

That's where Microsoft Enterprise Mobility & Security (EMS) comes in to help manage and protects devices, applications, users, and user data. This way, no matter where your staff accesses their important emails and documents from, your corporate data would be secure at all times.

What is the largest healthcare breach? ›

In the biggest healthcare breach to date (and, hopefully, ever), Anthem disclosed on January 29, 2015 that 78.8 million patient records had been stolen. The cyber attack claimed highly sensitive data, including names, Social Security numbers, home addresses, and dates of birth.

What healthcare system got hacked? ›

U.S. lawmakers and the Biden administration are scrutinizing the fallout from a ransomware attack on UnitedHealth Group's Change Healthcare unit in late February that has crippled revenue flow in the healthcare sector.

Why do hospitals get hacked so much? ›

Private patient information is worth a lot of money to attackers. Hospitals store an incredible amount of patient data. Confidential data that's worth a lot of money to hackers who can sell it quickly – making the industry a growing target.

What happened in the healthcare cyber attack 2024? ›

On Feb. 21, 2024, the ransomware hacker group ALPHV, otherwise known as "BlackCat," disabled Change Healthcare's nationwide healthcare billing and information systems and demanded a ransom to unlock them.

Who is behind cyber attacks? ›

The individuals who launch cyber attacks are usually referred to as cybercriminals, threat actors, bad actors, or hackers. They can work alone, in collaboration with other attackers, or as part of an organized criminal group.

What are the cyber attacks in 2024? ›

Other high-profile cyberattacks during the first half of 2024 included the widespread compromise of Ivanti VPNs and the breach of Microsoft executive accounts—both of which impacted U.S. government agencies—as well as widespread data-theft attacks targeting customers of Snowflake.

What is the religion of Ascension healthcare? ›

Ascension is one of the nation's leading non-profit and Catholic health systems, with a Mission of delivering compassionate, personalized care to all with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable.

Who owns Ascension hospitals? ›

Is Ascension Health losing money? ›

St. Louis-based Ascension continues to improve its operating performance and aims to ensure long-term sustainability for the health system on the back of a $3 billion operating loss in fiscal year 2023.

What happened to Fallon Ambulance Company? ›

Fallon Ambulance Service, a medical transportation company that served the greater Boston area, reported a data breach that impacted more than 911,000 individuals. Fallon was a subsidiary of Transformative Healthcare until December 2022, when it ceased operations.

What hospital computer systems in multiple states hit by cyberattack? ›

Prospect Medical Holdings was hit with a cyberattack in early August that brought computer systems offline and lasted nearly six weeks, crippling services at hospitals in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Southern California.

What is cyber warfare attack? ›

Cyber warfare involves the actions by a nation-state or international organization to attack and attempt to damage another nation's computers or information networks through, for example, computer viruses or denial-of-service attacks.

What is Red Alert EMS? ›

Red Alert Emergency Medical Services responds to calls for assistance at accident scenes. As Red Alert Emergency Medical Services is registered with the Road Accident Fund, patients are therefore transported to medical facilities at no cost.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Catherine Tremblay

Last Updated:

Views: 5239

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (47 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Catherine Tremblay

Birthday: 1999-09-23

Address: Suite 461 73643 Sherril Loaf, Dickinsonland, AZ 47941-2379

Phone: +2678139151039

Job: International Administration Supervisor

Hobby: Dowsing, Snowboarding, Rowing, Beekeeping, Calligraphy, Shooting, Air sports

Introduction: My name is Catherine Tremblay, I am a precious, perfect, tasty, enthusiastic, inexpensive, vast, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.