Universal Health Services, a major hospital chain in more than 400 locations in the U.S., has faced a major cyberattack, CNBC reported.
Computer systems for Universal Health Services began to fail over the weekend, and some hospitals have had to resort to filing patient information with pen and paper.
Universal Health Services facilities in California, Florida, North Dakota, Arizona, and other locations began noticing problems. No patient or employee data appears to have been compromised but computer networks have been knocked offline. It can be a ransomware attack.
Universal Health Services said it experienced an information technology security incident in the early morning hours of September 27, 2020. As a result, the company suspended user access to its information technology applications related to operations located in the United States.
“We implement IT security protocols and are working diligently with our IT security partners to restore IT operations as quickly as possible,” a statement from Universal Health Services said.
While this matter may result in temporary disruptions to certain aspects of our clinical and financial operations, our care and behavioral health facilities are utilizing their established back-up processes including offline documentation methods. Patient care continues to be delivered safely and effectively, Universal Health Services said.
Universal Health Services said it does not have evidence that patient or employee data was accessed, copied or misused. Universal Health Services reported revenue of $11.4 billion in 2019.
Universal Health Services, headquartered in King of Prussia, PA, has approximately 90,000 employees and operates 26 acute care hospitals, 330 behavioral health facilities, 41 outpatient facilities and ambulatory care access points, an insurance offering, a physician network and various related services located in 37 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom.