Opinion: We tried to quantify how harmful hospital ransomware attacks are for patients. Here’s what we found
Three health economists tried to quantify exactly how much hospital ransomware attacks put patients at risk. Here’s what they found.
This article is part of a partnership between First Opinion and Tradeoffs, a nonprofit news organization exploring our confusing, costly, and often counterintuitive health care system. To learn more about how ransomware hurts hospitals and patients, listen to a deeper dive from Tradeoffs, and subscribe to never miss an episode.
On a Thursday in early August, staff at Manchester Memorial Hospital in Connecticut realized they’d been hit by a ransomware attack. What happened next is the stuff of nightmares. Manchester Memorial had to ask ambulances to take emergency patients elsewhere. They cancelled elective surgeries and worked without access to essential imaging equipment like X-rays and CT scans. With their electronic health records inaccessible, clinical staff had to revert to pen and paper. It took nearly six weeks before Manchester Memorial declared “all services back online.”
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