As of Tuesday, Ascension had restored access to electronic health records in several states and regions. That included four Michigan sites within the Genesys (Flint area), Rochester, Saginaw, and Tawas City markets.
Beyond that, Ascension provided few details about the initial breach.
It’s not clear if the person who downloaded the files was staff, a contractor or a visitor doing work unrelated to the hospital systems, for example. And while Ascension has acknowledged the attack as “ransomware,” it has not said whether it paid the ransom, nor has the attacker or attacking organization been identified.
Ascension Michigan has repeatedly declined requests for Bridge interviews since the breach. Rather, it has updated patients through a national page here and a page for Michigan patients here.
It’s also unclear how long it may take to fully restore systems. Earlier this month, Ascension reported a “turning point in our response efforts” in Florida, Alabama and Austin markets.
Credit-monitoring offer
The St. Louis-based chain also sought to reassure patients that their personal information may still be safe, even as it extended an offer of credit monitoring services and identity theft protection services.
(Patients can enroll in the credit monitoring and identity theft protection services at 1-888-498-8066.)
