The technology outage described by McLaren Health Care on Tuesday was the result of a “criminal cyberattack,” the health system said on Wednesday.
The company is currently investigating whether health data of patients or employees has been compromised, it said.
The health system includes 13 hospitals in Michigan. The sites affected include the Karmanos Cancer Institute.
An attack on the company’s technical systems, including phones, was reported on Tuesday. McLaren’s emergency departments continued to operate and most procedures were able to be performed, according to McLaren. Some non-urgent appointments, tests and treatments were postponed. The company said patients should keep their appointments unless they were contacted to reschedule.
“Several IT systems continue to experience downtime while we work to fully restore our system functionality,” the health system said in a statement. “We have implemented policies and procedures and are providing training for dealing with IT disruptions.”
Patients are asked to bring prescription medications or a list of their current medications, printed doctor’s orders for imaging tests or treatments, a list of their allergies, and printed laboratory test results available on McLaren’s patient portals.
McLaren is working to prevent supply chain disruptions and ensure insurance authorizations for care and treatments continue to be processed.
“McLaren is incredibly grateful and touched by the response of our team members and medical staff who have pulled together during these difficult circumstances to provide our communities with the care they need,” the company said in a statement.
:quality(70):focal(2618x1811:2628x1821)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/MS5QMLYHMNAEVMA7SY5Y5CW5BM.jpg "Grundy County teachers seek solutions for cell phone use in the classroom – Shaw Local")
