Laura Dyrda and Naomi Diaz
Hospitals in at least four states across across the South and Midwest experienced disruptions Nov. 24 due to potential cybersecurity incidents, although there is no evidence officially linking the incidences.
On Thanksgiving Day, UT Health East Texas in Tyler told CNN its hospitals reverted to downtime procedures after a security incident forced computer systems offline. The 10-hospital system locked down its network after network outage, according to the report. During the downtime, the hospital diverted ambulances to other ERs.
BSA Health System in Amarillo, Texas, also reported an outage and diverted ambulances after a “potential security incident,” according to a report from ABC affiliate KVII. A hospital spokesperson told the news outlet BSA experienced the outage Nov. 24 and reverted to paper records.
The University of Kansas Health System St. Francis Campus in Topeka also went on ER diversion after a network outage Nov. 24. The health system noted a “potential security incident” led to the outage and the hospital practiced standard downtime protocols, according to news station WIBW.
Tulsa, Okla.-based Hillcrest HealthCare System discovered a potential security incident Nov. 24 as well and told the Tulsa World the issue affected access to patient charts. The health system diverted some ER patients as a precaution but told the publication patient care has not been negatively affected.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., identified a cybersecurity incident Nov. 24 that compromised a database, according to The Record. The health system said the database did not contain personal or protected information. Ransomware gang Meow added VUMC to its “leak site,” indicating information was leaked on the dark web.
Lovelace Health System in Albuquerque, N.M., is experiencing a network outage that is affecting its emergency care and told KOAT Action News that local EMS are rerouting patients requiring emergency care to alternative facilities. The health system also said it is in the process of rescheduling certain non-urgent elective surgeries while it works to restore its systems.
Multiple hospitals report IT disruptions on Thanksgiving (beckershospitalreview.com)