Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FBI Investigating Cyber Virus That Paralyzed Major Hospital Chain Medstar
The Associated Press: FBI Probing Virus Behind Outage At Medstar Health Facilities
Hackers crippled computer systems Monday at a major hospital chain, MedStar Health Inc., forcing records systems offline for thousands of patients and doctors. The FBI said it was investigating whether the unknown hackers demanded a ransom to restore systems. A computer virus paralyzed some operations at Washington-area hospitals and doctors' offices, leaving patients unable to book appointments and staff locked out of their email accounts. Some employees were required to turn off all computers since Monday morning. (3/28)
CNN Money: FBI Investigating Outage At Maryland Hospital Chain
The FBI is looking into how a computer virus infected systems at MedStar Health, a large Maryland chain with 10 hospitals and dozens of clinics. "Early this morning, MedStar Health's IT system was affected by a virus that prevents certain users from logging into our system," the hospital chain announced on its Facebook page Monday. (Paglieri, 3/28)
The Washington Post: Virus Infects MedStar Health System’s Computers, Forcing An Online Shutdown
A virus infected the computer network of MedStar Health early Monday morning, forcing the Washington health-care behemoth to shut down its email and vast records database and raising additional concerns about the security of hospitals nationwide. The FBI is investigating the breach, which comes just weeks after similar cyberattacks on at least three other medical institutions in California and Kentucky. Still, MedStar officials said they had found “no evidence that information has been stolen.” (Cox, Turner and Zapotosky, 3/28)
Reuters: Washington's MedStar Health Shuts Down Computers After Virus
MedStar Health, one of the biggest medical providers in the Washington, D.C., area, said on Monday it shut down some computer systems after discovering a computer virus. "Networks temporarily shut down to prevent virus spread," MedStar, the operator of 10 hospitals in Washington and Maryland, said on Twitter. "We have no evidence of compromised information. All facilities remain open." (Finkle and Volz, 3/28)
The Washington Post: Why Hackers Are Going After Health-Care Providers
Washington is reeling from the news of a hack at MedStar, one of the largest medical providers in the area. A computer virus infecting the organization's computer systems forced MedStar to shut down much of its online operations Monday. The exact nature of the attack is not yet known, but MedStar is just the latest victim in a string of cyberattacks that have hit the health-care industry hard. Here's what you need to know about how health-care providers became the latest digital battleground. (Peterson, 3/28)
