Grand Blanc — A cyberattack on the McLaren Health Care system on Aug. 5 led to the shutdown of computer networks and phones across the McLaren’s 13-hosptial system.
On Aug. 26, the Grand Blanc-based healthcare provider said the network is fully restored and operational, adding the implementation of “downtime” paper-based procedures allowed McLaren staff to continue to provide patient care in a safe environment while the system was down.
McLaren officials released a statement on the cyberattack:
“McLaren Health Care is pleased to share that its information technology platforms are restored, and the health system’s clinical and administrative operations are fully functional across Michigan following a cyberattack earlier this month. The restoration process, which was expected to last until the end of the month, was completed ahead of schedule.
“With this return to normal operations, all temporary procedures enacted during the disruption have been lifted. Providers at all McLaren Health Care hospitals, Karmanos cancer centers, and outpatient clinics again have access to patients’ electronic medical records. The process of inputting patients’ health records that were manually charted during the disruption into the electronic system began over the weekend and is expected to last several weeks.
“As clinical operations were largely maintained as McLaren clinical and IT teams progressed in their network restoration efforts, all patients and communities served by McLaren facilities are encouraged to seek care as they normally would.”
• All emergency departments are open, accepting patients and receiving all conditions arriving via emergency medical service.
• Patients can schedule outpatient diagnostic imaging procedures.
• Surgeries are proceeding as planned and any postponed elective surgeries have been, or are, being rescheduled.
• All radiation therapy units at Karmanos Cancer Institute facilities remain operational.
• McLaren Stroke Network is fully operational, including McLaren’s two Comprehensive Stroke Centers (McLaren Flint and McLaren Macomb).
• Primary and specialty care offices are operational, and patients can make appointments.
“McLaren is continuing its work with cyber security experts to determine what, if any, patient or employee information was compromised. If it is determined that any protected health information (PHI) or personal information was compromised, those individuals will be contacted directly,” McLaren said in the statement.
According to McLaren, Cyberattacks on the health care sector nearly doubled between 2022 and 2023, with more than 700 active hacking cases currently under investigation by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights (OCR), which also reports a 278 percent increase in large breaches involving ransomware from 2018 to 2022.