CommonSpirit Updates Patients, Confirms Ransomware Attack

As suspected and validated by local news reports, the CommonSpirit "IT issue" was in fact a ransomware attack. CommonSpirit confirmed the nature of the attack in a recent update posted on its website. Hospitals across the country are still feeling the impacts of the attack that began as early as October 3. 

"As previously shared, upon discovering the ransomware attack, we took immediate steps to protect our systems, contain the incident, begin an investigation, and ensure continuity of care," CommonSpirit stated.

"Our facilities are following existing protocols for system outages, which includes taking certain systems offline, such as electronic health records. In addition, we are taking steps to mitigate the disruption and maintain continuity of care. To further assist and support our team in the  investigation and response process, we engaged leading cybersecurity specialists and notified law enforcement."

The attack led to IT outages, EHR downtime, and appointment cancellations at multiple hospitals in the CommonSpirit network, according to individual hospital website notices. CommonSpirit's notice said that "patients continue to receive the highest quality of care" amid the disruptions. 

"Systems serving Dignity Health and Virginia Mason Medical Center have had minimal impacts on operations by this incident. For the other parts of our health system that have seen impacts on operations, we are working diligently every day to bring systems online and restore full functionality as quickly and safely as possible," CommonSpirit noted.

"Central to our decision-making has been and will continue to be our ability to carry out our mission in a manner that is safe and effective to those we serve. At CommonSpirit Health, we are dedicated to meeting the needs of the communities we serve and are guided by our core set of values, which include integrity, excellence, and collaboration. We are grateful to our staff and physicians who are doing everything possible to mitigate the impact to our patients and ensure continuity of care."