Hospital computer hack enters third day at Manatee Memorial and at Lakewood Ranch
An information technology security incident early Sunday morning has left one of the nation’s largest health care companies, Universal Health Services, without computer access and company email for a third day.
Among its nationwide holdings are Manatee Memorial Hospital and Lakewood Ranch Medical Center.
As a result, UHS suspended user access to its information technology applications related to operations in the United States.
“The company has implemented extensive information technology security protocols and is working diligently with its security partners to restore its information technology operations as quickly as possible,” UHS said in a statement.
“In the meantime, while this matter may result in temporary disruptions to certain aspects of our clinical and financial operations, our acute care and behavioral health facilities are utilizing their established back-up processes including offline documentation methods. Patient care continues to be delivered safely and effectively,” the company said.
At this time, UHS said it has no evidence that patient or employee data was accessed, copied or misused.
The company has not responded to requests about the nature of of the information technology security incident, and whether ransomware might be involved.
Ransomware attacks have become more common in recent years with hackers taking over computer systems and demanding a ransom to return control of the computer system to the owners.
Among those hit by ransomware attacks are the cities of Baltimore and New Orleans, and college campuses, including the University of Utah, the University of California, San Francisco, and Michigan State University.
Universal Health Services is one of the nation’s largest providers of hospital and healthcare services and is a Fortune 500 corporation with revenues of $11.4 billion for 2019.
Blake Medical Center, owned by HCA Healthcare, has not been affected by the hospital hack.
“Blake Medical Center’s computer systems are fully functional and operating normally. We are not experiencing any issues,” Lisa Kirkland, Blake director of marketing, said in an email.
Officials at Manatee Memorial and Lakewood Ranch have referred questions about the IT security issue to the company spokesperson in King of Prussia, Pa.
