Hospitals and health systems across the United States were among the industries affected by the global IT outage on Friday morning.
The outages, which stalled internal and external systems on Microsoft-based computers, were caused by a faulty update from CrowdStrike — an American cybersecurity technology firm that provides cloud workload protection, threat intelligence and cyberattack response services
CrowdStrike said the outage was not a due to a cyberattack but rather a software issue that had been identified. A fix has since been deployed, the company said.
The Department of Health and Human Services issued an urgent alert to hospitals and law enforcement reporting that “multiple government agencies” were impacted.
At least 12 hospitals or hospital systems across the U.S. were affected by the outage with some reporting that they had canceled elective procedures Friday.
Signage is displayed outside the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, July 16, 2020.
Andrew Cenci/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Those affected include Cleveland Clinic, Cincinnati Children’s, Kaleida Health/Cayuga in Buffalo, Harris Health System in Texas, Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, Mass General, Memorial Hermann in Texas, Mount Sinai in New York, Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio and Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
Mass General Brigham canceled all elective and non-emergency surgeries on Friday and issued an urgent message to employees about “a major digital incident … affecting all Mass General Brigham hospitals and sites.”
Cincinnati Children’s told ABC News that patients scheduled for surgery or radiology appointments should arrive at the scheduled time, but that they will likely face delays, advising families to plan accordingly.
All other non-surgical and office appointments before 10 a.m. ET were canceled.
“Many of our Microsoft-based computer systems have been affected by the worldwide technology outage,” Cincinnati Children’s said in a statement. “Our teams are working hard to minimize disruption to patient care and system operations, and we are bringing systems back up as quickly as possible.”
Martha’s Vineyard Hospital also said it was canceling non-urgent surgeries, procedures and medical appointments for Friday.
Harris Health System in Texas said some services remained open but elective procedures scheduled for Friday had been canceled.
“Dialysis services remain open at Harris Health Quentin Mease Health Center,” the system said in a post on X. “All other Harris Health outpatient clinic appointments and elective hospital procedures are being canceled today and will be rescheduled when the information systems issues are resolved.”
Mount Sinai West Hospital is seen in New York City, Nov. 30, 2023.
Deb Cohn-Orbach/UCG/Getty Images
The University of Kentucky (UK) said in a post on X that the campus, including Kentucky Hospital Systems, was experiencing “some disruptions” due to the outage.
Later Friday morning, UK information technology services said some systems had been restored but others were still continuing to face impacts.
Memorial Hermann in Texas reported computers were down for about two hours, causing “minor interruptions to some applications.”
Pharmacy chains also saw some impacts. Rite Aid pharmacies told ABC News it’s seen “minimal impact” and pharmacies are fully operational.
The outage also affected hospital systems abroad including at least two hospitals in Germany, more than a dozen hospitals in Israel, the NHS system in Wales and multiple hospitals in Melbourne, Australia, according to local reports.
ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.
A recent global IT outage has caused significant disruptions for over 12 major hospitals and health systems around the world. The outage, which occurred unexpectedly, has highlighted the vulnerability of healthcare organizations to technological failures and the importance of robust IT infrastructure in the delivery of patient care.
The outage, which affected hospitals in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, has had far-reaching consequences for patients and healthcare providers. Without access to critical IT systems, hospitals have been unable to access patient records, schedule appointments, or communicate effectively with staff members. This has led to delays in patient care, increased wait times, and a general sense of chaos within healthcare facilities.
One of the major challenges faced by hospitals during the outage was the inability to access electronic health records (EHRs). EHRs contain vital information about a patient’s medical history, medications, allergies, and treatment plans. Without access to this information, healthcare providers were forced to rely on paper records or memory, which increased the risk of medical errors and compromised patient safety.
In addition to EHRs, hospitals also experienced disruptions in other critical IT systems, such as radiology imaging, laboratory results, and medication dispensing. This further exacerbated the challenges faced by healthcare providers and resulted in delays in diagnosis and treatment for patients.
The global IT outage serves as a stark reminder of the importance of investing in robust IT infrastructure and disaster recovery plans within healthcare organizations. Hospitals must have backup systems in place to ensure continuity of care in the event of a technological failure. This includes regular testing of backup systems, training staff on alternative workflows, and establishing communication protocols in case of emergencies.
Furthermore, healthcare organizations must prioritize cybersecurity measures to protect against potential cyberattacks that could lead to IT outages. With the increasing digitization of healthcare data and the growing threat of cyber threats, hospitals must invest in robust cybersecurity measures to safeguard patient information and ensure the integrity of their IT systems.
As hospitals work to recover from the global IT outage and resume normal operations, it is crucial that lessons are learned from this experience. Healthcare organizations must take proactive steps to strengthen their IT infrastructure, improve disaster recovery plans, and enhance cybersecurity measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. By prioritizing IT resilience and security, hospitals can better protect patient care and ensure the continuity of healthcare services in the face of technological challenges.
