Ascension Wisconsin reporting system outages due to a “cybersecurity event.”

Ascension Wisconsin confirmed that access to some systems was interrupted in what it calls a “cybersecurity event.”

Ascension detected “unusual activity on select technology network systems” on May 8, according to a statement sent to TMJ4 News.

TMJ 4 has received multiple reports from patients concerned about not receiving care due to this problem. Meanwhile, other patients reported that they were able to keep their appointments and experience minimal effects.

One mother, who agreed to speak with TMJ4 on the condition of anonymity, said she found out appointments for her two children had to be rescheduled after she arrived at the Ascension St. Joseph in Milwaukee.

“It's very disappointing because you have a lot of stuff. They have to leave school early for appointments, which is what we get, and they can't be seen,” the mother said. “I'm just thinking should I call another hospital or just wait for their phone call because it's here closer to me. I'm not driving right now. So I'm just debating what to do now.”

Ascension leaders say they responded immediately, began investigating, and began trying to solve the problem. Access to some systems may be interrupted while the Ascension team works on this issue.

“Our care teams have been trained in these types of disruptions and have initiated procedures to ensure patient care continues to be delivered as safely and as minimally disruptive as possible,” Ascension told TMJ4 via email.

Ascension says it is working with the “appropriate authorities” to find out what information, if any, may be affected by the situation.

Here's the full statement from Ascension Wisconsin:

On Wednesday, May 8, we detected unusual activity on select technology networking systems, which we now believe is due to a cybersecurity event. At this time we continue to investigate the situation. We responded immediately, began our investigation, and activated our remediation efforts. Access to some systems is interrupted as this process continues.

Our care teams are trained in these types of disorders and have initiated measures to ensure that patient care continues to be delivered safely and with as little disruption as possible. There has been a disruption to clinical operations, and we are continuing to evaluate the impact and duration of this disruption.

We have engaged Mandiant, an external expert, to assist in the investigation and remediation process, and have notified the appropriate authorities. We work together to fully investigate what information, if any, may have been affected by the situation. If we determine that any sensitive information has been affected, we will notify and support those individuals in accordance with all relevant regulatory and legal guidelines.

Out of an abundance of caution, we recommend that business partners temporarily suspend connection to the Ascension environment. We will inform partners when it is appropriate to reconnect with our environment.

This is an ongoing situation and we will provide updates as we learn more. For the latest information clickhere.

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