2 New York healthcare providers lose EHR access following ransomware attacks

Both Olean (N.Y.) Medical Group and Seneca Nation Health System in Salamanca, N.Y., have lost access to their computer and EHR systems following recent cyberattacks on the organizations, Olean Times Herald reports.

OMG, which serves around 40,000 patients, said that no patient records or information were compromised as a result of the ransomware attack, according to the publication. The medical group has been completing patient charting by paper since the organization's computer systems and EHR were infected with the ransomware June 11, OMG CEO Christine Strade told Becker's Hospital Review.

The hacker demanded "a significant amount of money," in exchange for access to the systems' files, which OMG did pay, Ms. Strade confirmed. The group is working to restore all the encrypted files.

Seneca, which is not affiliated with OMG, also maintained security of patients' protected health information following the attack on its health system, according to a statement from Mark Halftown, acting CEO, published to the health system's website. He added that while access to patients' electronic charts and the hospital's scheduling system is currently down, Seneca is still seeing patients.

"We are working feverishly to rebuild our system and we apologize for any inconvenience," Mr. Halftown wrote.

OMG hired Kivu, a cybersecurity forensic group, to investigate the attack, according to the report. After its review, the forensic group determined numerous attacks, which mostly came from Eastern Europe and Africa, against OMG had been stopped by the medical group's security system prior to the breach.

It is not clear whether the ransomware attacks on both organizations originated from the same hacker.

Editor's Note: Becker's Hospital Review has reached out to Seneca Nation Health System for comment and will update this report as more information becomes available.

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