Brockton Hospital and its operator, Signature Healthcare, anticipate that healthcare services that have not been restored since a cybersecurity incident on Monday will not restart this week.
“Based on the information we have at this time, we do not anticipate the situation being resolved in the next few days. Teams are preparing to continue downtime procedures for the next two weeks as necessary,” Signature Healthcare said in a Thursday press release.
Signature Healthcare stopped accepting patients via ambulance and canceled chemotherapy appointments at Brockton Hospital after discovering suspicious activity in its networks Monday morning. It also shut down its retail pharmacies in Brockton and East Bridgewater.
Since then, chemotherapy services at the hospital have resumed and Signature Healthcare’s pharmacies have reopened for drug consultations. But as of Thursday, ambulances continue to be diverted from the hospital, and the healthcare system’s pharmacies are still not filling prescriptions.
Signature Healthcare advises pharmacy customers with questions about managing their medications to call 857-335-1678.
Because the cybersecurity incident disrupted Signature Healthcare’s information systems, the healthcare system cannot provide patients with their medical records at this time, it said. Signature Healthcare has not determined whether any patient information has been compromised.
“The investigation into the incident continues in partnership with cybersecurity experts, state and federal officials,” the healthcare system said Wednesday.
As the disruption continues, patients may experience delays in service at Signature Healthcare’s urgent care centers in Brockton and when waiting for test results, the healthcare system said. Inpatient and walk-in emergency services, including surgeries, are proceeding as planned at Brockton Hospital.
On Monday, a spokesperson for the healthcare system declined to specify whether the cybersecurity incident was a ransomware attack, but told MassLive that Signature Healthcare had identified the nature of the incident.
The incident brought down Brockton Hospital’s electronic medical records system, forcing healthcare providers to use pen-and-paper documentation, The Enterprise reported.
Patients are advised to check the healthcare system’s website for updates.
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