GA: Memorial Health System experiences ransomware attack

Amy Phelps reports that on Sunday morning, Memorial Health System experienced a ransomware attack.  In a press conference, CEO Scott Cantley provided some information and informed the public that the health system is working with emergency backup systems and “modifying some of the things we do. We will continue to provide exceptional care to our community.” According to Cantley, staff at the hospitals — Marietta Memorial, Selby and Sistersville General Hospital — “are working with paper charts while systems are restored and data recovered.” This will mean temporary disruptions to certain aspects of clinical and financial operations. All urgent surgical cases for today have been canceled, as well as radiology exams and patients have been notified. Read more on News and Sentinel. Memorial Health System published a notice on their web site that provides specifics on any changes in services or functioning: Community Information About Cyber Attack FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE —-August 15, 2021 – Memorial Health System experienced an information technology security incident in the early morning hours this morning, August 15, 2021. As a result, we suspended user access to information technology applications related to our operations. We have implemented extensive information technology security protocols and is working diligently with security partners to restore information operations as quickly as possible. Federal law enforcement has also been notified. In the meantime, while this matter may result in temporary disruptions to certain aspects of our clinical and financial operations, we will continue to provide exceptional care to our community. We will continue to update our patients and the community as those changes occur. “Maintaining the safety and security of our patients and their care is our top priority and we are doing everything possible to minimize disruption,” says Memorial Health System president and CEO Scott Cantley, “Staff at our hospitals- Marietta Memorial, Selby, and Sistersville General Hospital – are working with paper charts while systems are restored, and data recovered.” According to Cantley, all urgent surgical cases for Monday, August 16 have been cancelled and patients notified. In addition, all radiology exams have been cancelled. All primary care appointments will be held as scheduled. If patients have an appointment with a surgeon or specialist on Monday, we suggest they call ahead. For the most efficient use of a patient’s visit, we want to ensure we have historical patient information. If for any reason we feel their visit would best be rescheduled, we will reach out to patients directly. “At this time no known patient or employee personal or financial information has been compromised,” he said. “We are continuing to work with IT security experts to methodically investigate to precisely understand what happened and are taking the appropriate actions to resolve any and all issues.” Memorial Health System Emergency Departments are on diversion at 12 midnight due to IT system failures. We will continue to accept: STEMI, STROKE and TRAUMA patients at Marietta Memorial Hospital. Belpre and Selby are on diversion for all patients due to radiology availability. It is in the best interest of all other patients to be taken to the nearest accepting facility. If all area hospitals on are diversion, patients will be transported to the emergency department closest to where the emergency occurred. This diversion will be ongoing until IT systems are restored. Memorial Health System is a not-for-profit integrated health system lead by a volunteer board of community members committed to providing comprehensive care services that meet the needs of our region. We are comprised of a network of locations and specialties provided by over 3,000 employees that include three hospitals (Marietta Memorial Hospital, Selby General Hospital and Sistersville General Hospital), outpatient service sites, and provider clinics. Memorial Health System strives to deliver quality care and service with an additional focus on medical education and community service. We invest in the most advanced technologies and treatments today, giving our patients the care that they need, so they can stay close to home.  DataBreaches.netRead More