Editor's note: Ascension's electronic health record and clinical workflows have been fully restored as of June 20, 2024, according to the health system. All Ascension systems are now back online. As a result, Healthcare Dive has stopped updating this tracker.
UPDATE: June 14, 2024: This article was updated with a timeline and details about electronic health record restoration.
Ascension Healthcare, one of the nation’s largest health systems, was hit by a ransomware attack in early May, shutting down pharmacies, forcing ambulances to divert and closing critical systems.
The Catholic health system, which operates 140 hospitals across 19 states and Washington, D.C., is one of the latest healthcare operators to be impacted by a cyberattack, following the major incident at UnitedHealth’s Change Healthcare earlier this year.
Pharmacies in multiple states in Ascension’s portfolio were forced offline. In some cases, providers asked patients to pay for prescriptions in cash. In others, clinicians turned to regional pharmacies by fax or telephone to fill orders. Most say patients could experience delays in services.
Ascension reported on June 14 it had restored its electronic health record and patient portal across the system. But data collected between May 8 and the date of EHR restoration may not be accessible, as the health system works to upload new information.
As the health system brings operations back online, Healthcare Dive will track the latest updates for Ascension’s hospitals by state, including pharmacy operations, emergency rooms statuses and potential care delays.
The tracker will be updated weekly. Sign up to Healthcare Dive newsletter's to read the latest stories examining cybersecurity in the industry.
