UT Health East Texas resumes divert status; access to MyChart, video visits unavailable in wake of cyberattack

This article, UT Health East Texas resumes divert status; access to MyChart, video visits unavailable in wake of cyberattack,  originally appeared on KLTV.

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – UT Health East Texas is diverting patients to other area hospitals after a cyber security incident.

UT Health East Texas Director of Communications Allison Pollan gave an update Monday morning. In her initial statement on Thursday, Pollan said she expected network access to be restored within 24-36 hours.

“Safely caring for patients remains our highest priority as we continue working to restore full access to our electronic medical record and other clinical system,” she said. “We continue to treat patients in our emergency rooms, however in some cases critically ill patients may be diverted to other area hospitals to ensure they have immediate access to the most appropriate level of care while we work to bring our systems back online.”

Ardent Health Services, which is based in Nashville and is the majority owner of UT Health East Texas, said they have reported the event to law enforcement and retained third-party forensic and threat intelligence advisors. In addition to electronic protection procedures already in place, Ardent said they have also implemented additional information technology security protocols and are working with specialist cybersecurity partners to restore its information technology operations and capabilities as quickly as possible. As of Monday, they said “we cannot confirm the extent of any patient health or financial data that has been compromised.”

KLTV contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation to inquire whether they were assisting in the investigation. We were told “the FBI is aware of the cyber incident, but is declining further comment at this time,” by an FBI public affairs officer.

Around 12 p.m. Monday, Pollan confirmed that UT Health was off divert status. However, at around 3:30 p.m., Pollan sent a new statement that the divert status had been resumed, and UT Health hospitals are asking local ambulance services to transport patients in need of emergency care to other area hospitals. This ensures critically ill patients have immediate access to the most appropriate level of care, they said.

“Each hospital continues to evaluate its ability to safely care for critically ill patients in its Emergency Room as we work to bring hospital systems back online. This is rapidly changing, and the status of each hospital will be updated as the situation improves. All hospitals are continuing to provide a medical screening exam and stabilizing care to any patients arriving at our Emergency Departments,” said Pollan in her statement.

MyChart and on-demand video visits are temporarily unavailable for the system. Ardent is working to bring these systems back online as soon as possible, saying they have teams working “around the clock” to bring their systems back online and to establish a timeline for returning all apps to fully operational. They do not have a firm timeline for restoring that access as of Monday.

Around 4 p.m. on Monday, Pollan sent out a release saying the Christmas tree lighting ceremony, which originally was scheduled for Thursday, will be postponed due to the ongoing situation. The new date will be announced at a later time, the release said.

At 12:45 p.m., CHRISTUS Public Relations spokesman Coleman Swierc released the following statement:

“Over the past few days, we have experienced an increase in emergency department patients across our ministry. We are staffed and equipped to handle the increase in volume at all our emergency departments, which include locations at Tyler, South Tyler, Canton, Athens, Lindale, Jacksonville, Sulphur Springs and Winnsboro. We will adjust staffing at each location as needed to ensure that anyone who comes through our doors is treated. We advise that if you are experiencing a non-life-threatening event, please visit one of our urgent care clinics or your primary care provider. However, if you present at one of our emergency departments, you will not be turned away for care. Our mission is to extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ, and we are taking every step to ensure our communities are cared for.”

Longview Regional Medical Center officials confirmed that they have received some diverted cases from UTHETX.

“LRMC welcomes the opportunity to support UT Health during this time, serving all of East Texas and accommodating all who need care,” Libby Bryson with Longview Regional said.

The ransomware attack is not limited to the UT Health East Texas system. Other Ardent hospitals have been affected by the ransomware attack, including some in New Jersey, New Mexico and Oklahoma, they told CNN.