Ascension Health, largest Catholic hospital chain in the U.S., hit by cyberattack, disrupting patient care

Ascension Wellness, the nation’s biggest chain of Catholic hospitals, said Thursday it was responding to a cyberattack that was disrupting its operations.

In a press release on its website, Ascension mentioned the attack had triggered “disruption to scientific operations” as entry to some devices experienced been interrupted.

“Our treatment teams are properly trained for these varieties of disruptions and have initiated techniques to make sure client treatment shipping and delivery continues to be protected and as minimally impacted as doable,” it claimed.

An Ascension spokesperson did not immediately reply to a ask for for comment.

The company said it had engaged cybersecurity consulting organization Mandiant to help in the investigation and remediation course of action, and experienced notified legislation enforcement authorities.

A spokesperson for the FBI did not right away react to a ask for for comment.

The assault follows 1 that has brought about a weekslong disruption to health and fitness insurance coverage big UnitedHealthcare and its affiliate marketers. When UnitedHealth has restored most operations affected by the party, some even now remain offline, according to its internet site. UnitedHealth Team CEO Andrew Witty testified past thirty day period that the enterprise experienced inadequate cybersecurity protocols in location, and that it had paid $22 million in bitcoin to lift the siege of its operations.

According to Becker’s Hospital Evaluate, Ascension is the fourth-premier hospital network in the country, with 140 destinations in 19 states and Washington, D.C., together with important presences in St. Louis and the Chicagoland area.