Cyberattack disrupts medical services at Nashville hospital, delaying appointments, more

Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital operations in Nashville are severely disrupted by a cybersecurity attack that has shut down electronic medical record access and other critical systems.

"Some non-emergent elective procedures, tests and appointments have been temporarily paused while we work to bring systems back online," an Ascension spokesperson said.

Patients are asked to bring their prescription bottles and medication information to appointments so they can be called in to pharmacies as medical providers can't access patient medical histories including labs, X-rays and radiology.

The interruption is part of a nationwide cyberattack identified on Wednesday that is affecting Ascension medical centers across the country, according to a statement from the company.

"There has been a disruption to clinical operations, and we continue to assess the impact and duration of the disruption," an Ascension spokesperson said. "Access to some systems have been interrupted as this process continues."

In addition to electronic health records, some phone systems and medical tests, medications and procedures are unavailable.

Officials of the Catholic health care system are working to restore operations but said they don't know how long it will take and that patients should prepare for a prolonged disruption.

"Safely caring for patients remains our highest priority as we navigate this cybersecurity incident," according to an Ascension statement. "It is expected that we will be utilizing downtime procedures for some time. Patients should bring to their appointment notes on their symptoms and a list of current medications and prescription numbers or the prescription bottles so their care team can call in medication needs to pharmacies."

The operator of 140 U.S. hospitals engaged cybersecurity firm Mandiant to help investigate the source of the attack and identify solutions.

"We have notified the appropriate authorities," an Ascension spokesperson said. "Together, we 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."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Cyberattack takes toll at Nashville's Ascension Saint Thomas