By Andy Knight
The Herald Bulletin
ANDERSON, Ind. — The Ascension St. Vincent healthcare network is continuing to recover from a ransomware attack last week that affected network systems tracking test results, procedures and medications.
The attack happened Wednesday when suspicious activity was detected on several network systems.
An Ascension spokesperson provided the following statement as an update on the progress the organization has made in recovering from the attack.
“Ascension, with the support of leading cybersecurity experts, worked around the clock over the weekend to respond to the ransomware incident affecting our systems. We are focused on restoring systems safely. We are making progress; however, it will take time to return to normal operations.”
The network owns and operates more than 350 hospitals and urgent care centers in Indiana. Staff members at many of those locations have turned to manual and paper-based systems of record keeping while fixes are developed to restore online systems.
“As systems and services come back online, we will share those updates so that our patients and communities can plan accordingly,” an Ascension spokesperson said.
A fact sheet provided by Ascension St. Vincent noted that all of the network’s medical group doctor’s offices and care sites are operating with normal business hours, and all appointments are proceeding as planned.
In some areas, certain hospitals are employing ambulance diversion plans for specific cases. Also, most non-elective surgical procedures are happening as planned, but hospital officials caution that due to the transition to manual systems for documentation, patients may encounter longer-than-usual wait times.
Patients are also being asked to bring their prescription lists and prescription bottles to their appointments, where doctors will work to find alternative ways of filling them until Ascension Rx pharmacies come back online.
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