Cyberattack on US hospital owner diverts ambulances from emergency rooms in multiple states

A cyberattack that diverted ambulances from hospitals in East Texas on Thanksgiving Day is more widespread than previously known and has also forced hospitals in New Jersey, New Mexico and Oklahoma to reroute ambulances, hospital representatives told CNN on Monday.

All of the affected hospitals are owned, or partly owned, by Ardent Health Services, a Tennessee-based company that owns more than two dozen hospitals in at least five states.

Among the hospitals currently unable to accept ambulances are a 263-bed hospital in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico; a 365-bed hospital in Montclair, New Jersey; and a network of several hospitals in East Texas that serve thousands of patients a year.

It’s just the latest example of how the scourge of ransomware – which locks computers so hackers can demand a fee – has disrupted services at health care providers throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement Monday, Ardent Health Services confirmed that a ransomware attack caused the disruption and that its facilities were “diverting some emergency room patients to other area hospitals until systems are back online.” Hospital facilities were also forced to reschedule some non-emergency surgeries.

Patient care “continues to be delivered safely and effectively in its hospitals, emergency rooms, and clinics,” Ardent Health said on Monday.

A nurse working at one of the affected New Jersey hospitals told CNN that staff rushed “to print out as much patient information as we could” as it became clear that the hospital was shutting down networks because of the hacking incident.

“We are doing everything on paper,” said the nurse, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

“Everything becomes a lot slower,” the nurse said, referring to the reliance on paper,…