Prairie Lakes Healthcare System is notifying patients that unauthorized activity disrupted its network and it is investigating the scope of the breach.
Five details:
- On Oct. 6, the Watertown, S.D.-based health system experienced a network disruption that affected some of its computer systems, according to a Nov. 3 news release.
- The health system said it took immediate action to secure the system when the breach was discovered, and it restored critical systems so the hospital could continue to operate.
- The health system launched an investigation and retained a cybersecurity firm to help in remediation efforts and to determine the scope of the breach. The investigation is ongoing but found the network disruption involved a "small number" of IT systems, according to the release.
- "Our technical teams worked diligently to bring systems back online, and functionality of all affected IT systems has been restored," the news release said. "During the disruption, teams were able to effectively deliver patient care with minimal impact."
- The investigation has not discovered any evidence hackers accessed protected health information, according to the release. However, if it is uncovered that hackers accessed patient information, the health system will notify affected patients, according to the release.