Ascension St. John experiencing technology disruptions

Asked to confirm reports that Ascension St. John Medical Center in Tulsa is currently operating without access to internet, computer-based patient charts and telephone lines, a hospital spokeswoman released this written statement to the Tulsa World:

“On Wednesday, May 8, we detected unusual activity on select technology network systems. We responded immediately, initiated our investigation and activated our remediation efforts. Access to some systems have been interrupted as this process continues.

“Our care teams are trained for these kinds of disruptions and have initiated procedures to ensure patient care delivery continues to be safe and as minimally impacted as possible.”

The use of online technology throughout health care has made hospitals an increasingly common target of thieves who attempt to hold systems’ data and networks hostage in exchange for ransom payments.

Last fall, Hillcrest HealthCare System had to reschedule or divert patients after its parent company Ardent suffered a ransomware attack.

Ascension, the faith-based health care organization that operates Ascension St. John Medical Center in Tulsa, said patients will be notified if an investigation of the newly detected “unusual activity” finds sensitive information was affected.

“We have notified the appropriate authorities and are working to fully investigate what information, if any, may have been affected by the situation. Should we determine that any sensitive information was affected, we will notify and support those individuals in accordance with all relevant regulatory and legal guidelines,” the Ascension St. John spokeswoman said.