November 27, 2023 at 12:56PM
Ardent Health Services, a healthcare provider with 30 hospitals across six U.S. states, experienced a ransomware attack, leading to the entire network being taken offline. Impacted hospitals are diverting emergency care to other facilities while still providing medical screening and stabilizing care. Non-urgent elective surgeries have been temporarily halted. Ardent is working to restore encrypted systems and determine the extent of any data breach.
Key Takeaways from the Meeting Notes:
1. Ardent Health Services, a healthcare provider operating 30 hospitals across six U.S. states, experienced a ransomware attack on November 23, 2023.
2. The attack forced Ardent to take its entire network offline and notify law enforcement.
3. External experts have been hired to investigate the extent and impact of the attack.
4. Impacted hospitals are diverting emergency care patients to other hospitals in the area but can still provide medical screening and stabilizing care in their emergency rooms.
5. Patient care services in Ardent’s clinics are still active, but non-urgent elective surgeries have been temporarily halted.
6. Ardent’s teams are working to restore encrypted systems and will directly contact individuals who require rescheduling of appointments or procedures.
7. The extent of a potential data breach and whether patient health or financial data has been compromised is not yet confirmed.
8. Ardent has implemented additional information technology security protocols and is working with cybersecurity partners to restore operations as quickly as possible.
9. The investigation and restoration of access to electronic medical records and other clinical systems are ongoing.
10. Ardent is still determining the full impact of the incident and cannot provide a definitive timeline for the restoration process.
11. Ardent’s workforce comprises 23,000 employees, overseeing operations across 30 hospitals and over 200 care facilities in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas, New Jersey, and Idaho. They collaborate with over 1,400 affiliated healthcare providers in these states.