On Wednesday, Ascension Health announced that it may have experienced a cybersecurity incident that led to disruptions in clinical operations at its facilities in the Birmingham metropolitan area. The system detected unusual activity on select technology network systems on May 8, which they believe was caused by a cybersecurity event.
The affected facilities include St. Vincent’s Birmingham, St. Vincent’s Blount, St. Vincent’s Chilton, St. Vincent’s East, St. Vincent’s St. Clair, and St. Vincent’s One Nineteen. Ascension Health has initiated an investigation and activated remediation efforts in response to the incident, with some systems being interrupted as a result of the ongoing investigation.
The care teams at these facilities are trained to handle such disruptions and have implemented procedures to ensure patient care delivery remains safe and minimally impacted. The disruption has affected clinical operations, and Ascension Health is assessing the impact and duration of the disruption.
Companies that work with Ascension Health were advised to temporarily disconnect from their environment until further notice as a precautionary measure while the health care system works to determine if any sensitive information was compromised by the situation. If it is determined that sensitive information was compromised, they will notify and provide support to those individuals in accordance with regulatory and legal guidelines.
Ascension Health has engaged the services of a third-party expert, Mandiant, to assist with the investigation into the cybersecurity incident leading to this disruption in clinical operations at its facilities in the Birmingham metropolitan area.
It is important for healthcare providers like Ascension Health to be prepared for potential cybersecurity incidents such as this one, as they can cause significant harm if not addressed promptly and effectively.
In conclusion, Ascension Health is working diligently to resolve this issue as quickly as possible while also ensuring patient safety remains their top priority during these challenging times for healthcare workers everywhere due to COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on healthcare systems worldwide.