Ascension Healthcare and Ascension Sacred Heart have suspended some “non-emergency elective procedures, tests and appointments” following the cybersecurity incident.
Late Thursday afternoon, an Ascension spokesperson said:
“Systems that are currently unavailable include MyChart, our electronic medical records system (which allows patients to view their medical records and communicate with their health care providers), some telephone systems, and certain tests, This includes the various systems used to order treatments and medications. We have established protocols and procedures to address these specific system failures in order to continue to provide safe care to our patients. However, out of an abundance of caution, some non-emergency elective procedures, tests, and appointments have been temporarily suspended while we work to bring our systems back online. Our team is working directly with patients who need to reschedule appointments and procedures. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
“Several hospitals are currently being converted to emergency medical services for downtime procedures so that emergency cases can be triaged immediately. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 911. The service will take you to the nearest hospital emergency room.”
The company also said, “We have determined that this is a cybersecurity incident. We are working around the clock with internal and external advisors and have gone through a thorough verification and screening process to investigate, contain, and restore our systems. Investigation and recovery efforts will take time to complete and are not scheduled for completion.
“We anticipate utilizing downtime procedures for some time. Patients will be required to include notes regarding their symptoms, a list of their current medications, and prescription numbers so that their care team can contact the pharmacy regarding their medication needs.” Or you must bring your prescription bottle to your appointment.”
