Multistate Hospital Chain Diverts Emergency Room Patients Amid Ransomware Attack

Hospitals operated by Ardent Health Services in at least four states diverted emergency room patients following a ransomware attack.

Although patient care remains unaffected, the company took precautions, moving some ER patients to other hospitals and rescheduling non-urgent procedures.

Affected hospital chains include Hillcrest HealthCare System in Oklahoma, Lovelace Health System in New Mexico, and UT Health in Texas, among others.

As of Tuesday afternoon, over half of Ardent Health Services’ 25 emergency rooms had resumed accepting some patients after a ransomware attack.

Hospitals had implemented “divert” status, redirecting ambulances to other facilities during the incident. 

Ardent reported the issue to law enforcement and engaged third-party experts for forensic analysis. 

The company, which operates 30 hospitals and over 200 care sites in multiple states, is working to restore IT functions, with no immediate timeline for resolution. The extent of compromised patient information is yet to be confirmed.

Ardent Health Services Takes Swift Action After Ransomware Attack

Following the ransomware attack on Thursday, Ardent Health Services took a proactive approach by promptly taking its network offline and suspending user access to information technology applications.

The company has implemented additional security protocols and is collaborating with cybersecurity partners to expedite the restoration of its technology operations.

The decision to suspend access and enhance security measures aims to contain the impact of the cyberattack and safeguard the integrity of its systems. 

Ardent continues to work diligently to ensure a swift and secure recovery process.

A global study by cybersecurity firm Sophos revealed that nearly two-thirds of healthcare organizations experienced ransomware attacks in the year ending in March, marking a significant increase from two years earlier.

Although slightly lower than the previous year, the study highlighted a growing trend of ransomware gangs stealing data before deploying malware to paralyze networks. 

Extortion tactics involve threatening to make stolen data public, leading to increased ransom payments. 

Data theft occurred in one out of three ransomware attacks on healthcare organizations, according to the Sophos study.