November 28, 2023 at 05:42AM
Healthcare services provider Ardent Health Services experienced a ransomware attack on Thanksgiving morning, causing disruptions to clinical and financial operations. Patient care is unaffected, but certain procedures are being rescheduled and patients are being diverted to other hospitals. Ardent is working to restore systems and determine the extent of the incident while investigating potential compromised data.
Key Takeaways:
1. Ardent Health Services experienced a ransomware attack on Thanksgiving morning, leading them to temporarily suspend user access to IT applications and offline corporate servers, internet, and clinical programs.
2. Patient care in Ardent’s hospitals, emergency rooms, and clinics is being delivered safely and effectively despite the disruption caused by the incident.
3. The company is rescheduling non-emergent procedures and diverting patients to other hospitals. Ambulance services are being asked to transport patients in need of emergency care to ensure immediate access to appropriate care.
4. Ardent is working on restoring its systems but cannot provide an estimated timeline for return to normal operations.
5. Each hospital in the Ardent network will evaluate its ability to provide care to critically ill patients in its emergency room. Further information on the duration of divert measures will be provided as the situation evolves.
6. The extent of the incident is still under investigation, and it is not yet confirmed whether patient health or financial data has been compromised.
7. Ardent Health Services, based in Nashville, owns and operates hospitals in Idaho, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.