Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind., canceled all remaining elective surgeries around 4:30 p.m. Sept. 18, after its IT team discovered a computer virus, wane.com reports. The Lutheran Health Network IT staff stopped the virus in the afternoon, but phones and computers were “taken down” as a precaution, according to the report.
In addition to canceling its remaining elective cases for the day, the hospital diverted incoming ambulances elsewhere. The attack affected all Lutheran Health Network facilities, but Lutheran Hospital was the only facility put on ambulance diversion.
If you are responsible for your healthcare provider’s business continuity (especially its compliance with the CMS Emergency Preparedness Rule) this is just the sort of thing you need to be thinking about and preparing to prevent. Most hospitals are fairly well prepared to deal with physical issues, but are you ready for a full-scale cyber attack?
CMS requires an all hazard approach, and that includes electronic hazards.
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