Security incident at CommonSpirit disrupts hospital operations

US healthcare giant CommonSpirit Health,  one of the nation’s largest health systems with over 1000 sites and 140 hospitals in 21 states, suffered an IT security incident, disrupting hospital operations and interrupting access to electronic health records.

According to sources, an unspecified security incident is suspected to be a ransomware attack. A spokesperson said that as a precautionary step, CommonSpirit had taken certain IT systems offline, including electronic health record systems and other systems. It is unknown if patient information was compromised due to the IT incident.

When asked whether the incident was a ransomware attack, CommonSpirit said they could not provide more details. The facilities are following existing protocols for system outages and taking steps to minimize the disruption.

Some patient procedures have been rescheduled due to the IT security issue. Problems were first reported in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Later, the security issue affected hospitals in Iowa, Washington, Texas, and Nebraska.

In Iowa, the Des Moines Register reported ambulances were diverted Monday for a short period from MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center, a CommonSpirit facility, to other emergency rooms. In Washington, the Kitsap Sun reported the inability to access electronic health records had forced providers to revert to using paper charts.