Appointments postponed, multiple systems down after ‘cybersecurity incident’ at Ascension hospitals

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – According to an Ascension spokesperson, several systems are currently unavailable due to a confirmed “cybersecurity incident” at Ascension hospitals.

Ascension, one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the United States, detected unusual activity in its network systems on Tuesday.

Officials said unavailable systems included the MyChart electronic health record system (which allows patients to view their medical records and communicate with providers), some telephone systems and other systems used to order certain tests, procedures and medications.

Additionally, “out of an abundance of caution,” some non-urgent elective procedures, tests and appointments have been temporarily suspended while experts work to restore systems.

“Our teams work directly with any patient whose appointment or procedure needs to be rescheduled. We understand the frustration this can cause and sincerely regret the inconvenience this may cause to our patients,” an Ascension spokesperson wrote.

Officials said they didn’t know when they would be able to restore all systems. However, they said they expect the work to “take some time” and that they will use downtime procedures and protocols to ensure patient care “for some time.”

For this reason, patients are asked to bring their appointment notes regarding their symptoms and a list of current medications and prescription numbers or the prescription bottles so that their care team can report medication needs to the pharmacies.

The hospital system hired an outside expert to assist in the investigation and alerted authorities.

“We are extremely grateful for the hard work and dedication of our care teams across the system and their continued commitment to our patients,” an Ascension spokesperson wrote. “We also thank our patients and community for their continued support and patience during this time as we go through a careful, time-intensive process to restore systems as quickly and safely as possible.” To ensure that all patients, staff and stakeholders To stay updated throughout this event, we will continue to post updated information on our website as it becomes available.”

Healthcare providers in the U.S. have been subject to numerous ransomware attacks in recent years, some of which have impacted patient care and cost healthcare providers millions, if not billions, of dollars.

Ascension is a health system that includes 140 hospitals and 40 senior living facilities in 19 states, including several locations in Northeast Florida.

If you have been turned away or had appointments canceled due to the cybersecurity incident, please let us know by completing the form below.