Healthcare Nonprofit Ascension Falls Victim to Cyberattack, Temporarily Disconnects Clients to Minimize Impact on Patient Care

A healthcare nonprofit, Ascension, recently experienced a cyberattack that disrupted its clinical operations. In response to the incident, the organization took steps to minimize any impact on patient care. Ascension, which operates 140 hospitals and 40 senior living facilities in 19 states, recommended that its healthcare clients temporarily disconnect from its network while the situation is addressed.

The nonprofit detected unusual activity on some of its computer systems and initiated an investigation. If any sensitive patient data was compromised in the hack, Ascension will notify those affected. While it is unclear whether the incident involved ransomware, health care providers in the US have faced multiple ransomware attacks in recent years. These attacks have disrupted patient care and resulted in significant financial losses for health providers. For example, in February, a ransomware attack on a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group caused billing disruptions at pharmacies nationwide and threatened to put some health providers out of business.