“Upon learning of this, we took the system offline and launched an investigation to protect it,” the statement said. “This incident is a stark reminder that cybersecurity threats pose a real risk to healthcare institutions across the country. , Unfortunately this is not the last time.We are working with investigative and law enforcement agencies to address this emergency.”
The Eastern Connecticut Health Network, which is part of the Prospect System, said it was “experienced with IT issues” on its website as of Saturday evening. release the shutter We provide outpatient medical imaging services and outpatient blood collection services.Emergency rooms at two hospitals in the network diverted patients Thursday, according to The Hartford Courant report.
CharterCARE Health Partners in Rhode Island wrote on Facebook: Thursday “Computer systems are down, temporarily impacting inpatient and outpatient operations,” it said. It added that staff were “following downtime procedures, including the use of paper records, until the issue is resolved.”
Saturday, Waterbury Hospital, Connecticut said on Facebook It said the incident “impacts all affiliates of Prospect Medical Holdings Inc.” It added that “some outpatient services”, such as outpatient blood draws and imaging services, would not be available on Fridays and Saturdays.the former hospital Posted He also revealed that he relied on paper records for part of the week as a result of the attack.
Systems at Pennsylvania-based Closer Health also went down on Thursday, following a similar attack earlier in the year. 2020Philadelphia Inquirer report.
Ransomware attacks involving healthcare systems are becoming more common with the digitization of patient records and the upgrade to cloud-based servers. Hackers deploy these to block access to an organization’s computer network and extort a ransom from it.
In a statement, Prospect Medical Holdings said: “While the investigation continues, we are diligently working to return to normal operations as soon as possible while remaining focused on meeting the immediate needs of our patients.”
