​​COLUMBUS, Ohio — A hospital in Portsmouth has been facing disruptions since a Nov. 11 cyberattack, resulting in continued cancelations of patient appointments a week later, officials said.

What You Need To Know

  • Southern Ohio Medical Center continues to be impacted by the cyberattack

  • Officials have not said if patients' medical data has been compromised 

  • The hospital said it was working with federal law enforcement to investigate

Southern Ohio Medical Center, a 248-bed hospital, said it was hit with “what appears to be a targeted cyber attack.” The hospital said it was working with federal law enforcement to investigate the incident. 

In the initial aftermath, officials diverted ambulances away from its emergency department, but continued to operate its emergency services and its urgent cares. The hospital resumed accepting patients the following day, but announced that many types of appointments were being canceled. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals have been increasingly targeted by cyber criminals, according to Wright State University Computer Science Professor Vance McMillan Saunders, the department’s cybersecurity program director.

Saunders said the sudden shift for hospitals in March 2020 to employees working remotely and some patients accessing health care through virtual medical appointments put hospitals at greater risk of cyber threats. As they shifted services online, hospitals were also busy preparing for patient surges.

“COVID forced everybody to go online instantly and the world wasn't ready to do that,” he said. “For the cyber criminals, this was like putting them in the candy store.”

According to the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Information Security, the number of hospital data breaches and ransomware attacks increased significantly during the pandemic.

Hospitals are popular targets for cyber criminals because personal medical information can be valuable, Saunders said.

On Thursday, Southern Ohio Medical Center reported fewer disruptions, stating that only outpatient rehab, pulmonary function testing and its sleep lab appointments were canceled. 

Earlier in the week, the hospital was canceling appointments including outpatient surgeries, cancer services and cardiovascular testing, among other services. 

The hospital said it is continuing to investigate the incident, and officials have not said at this time if patient data was compromised.

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