A ransomware attack hindered the state of Maryland's ability to monitor patient safety at hospitals, The Washington Post reported.
Following the December 2021 cyberattack, the Maryland Department of Health's Office for Health Care Quality lost access to the database it uses to track injuries and deaths of hospital patients, according to the Sept. 24 story. The agency said it has collected less information about harmful events since the IT security incident, from which it is still recovering. For instance, the office does not know how many patients died from mistakes at Maryland hospitals during fiscal 2022.
"Marylanders deserve transparency and accountability," health department spokesperson Chase Cook told the newspaper. "The Maryland Department of Health is working to construct any missing information from available records."