Ohio Hospitals Disrupted by Ransomware Attack

Ohio Hospitals Disrupted by Ransomware Attack

“The OVMC-EORH employees and medical staff have been very adaptive and supportive, and we are able to continue with quality patient care,” Ohio Valley Medical Center CEO Daniel Dunmyer said.

East Ohio Regional Hospital and Ohio Valley Medical Center directed emergency care patients to other area hospitals this weekend due to a ransomware attack interrupting patient care, officials said.

According to officials, the ransomware attack began Friday night and continued into Saturday afternoon. Due to the attack, the emergency transportation teams began taking patients needing emergency care to area hospitals.

“The OVMC-EORH employees and medical staff have been very adaptive and supportive, and we are able to continue with quality patient care,” Ohio Valley Medical Center CEO Daniel Dunmyer said.

The hospitals’ IT team took some computer systems offline during the attack to protect patient health data. The hospitals were unable to take care of emergency squad patients, but clinical operations in other units and care settings proceeded as usual.

“We have redundant security, so the attack was able to get through the first layer but not the second layer,” said Karin Janiszewski, OVMC and EORH director of marketing and public relations, at the time. “There has been no patient information breach. The hospitals are switching to paper charting to ensure patient data protection.”

During the attack, Janiszekski said emergency rooms were unable to take patients by E-squad but could take walk-in patients.

The healthcare sector has experienced multiple ransomware attacks this year. Long periods of emergency health record (EHR) downtime can interrupt operations at hospitals, as some healthcare organizations voluntarily go offline to protect the medical and financial information of patients during security incidents.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

Featured

New Products

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • Mobile Safe Shield

    Mobile Safe Shield

    SafeWood Designs, Inc., a manufacturer of patented bullet resistant products, is excited to announce the launch of the Mobile Safe Shield. The Mobile Safe Shield is a moveable bullet resistant shield that provides protection in the event of an assailant and supplies cover in the event of an active shooter. With a heavy-duty steel frame, quality castor wheels, and bullet resistant core, the Mobile Safe Shield is a perfect addition to any guard station, security desks, courthouses, police stations, schools, office spaces and more. The Mobile Safe Shield is incredibly customizable. Bullet resistant materials are available in UL 752 Levels 1 through 8 and include glass, white board, tack board, veneer, and plastic laminate. Flexibility in bullet resistant materials allows for the Mobile Safe Shield to blend more with current interior décor for a seamless design aesthetic. Optional custom paint colors are also available for the steel frame.