Ascension cyberattack: Access to electronic health record system restored

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Ascension's electronic health record (EHR) access has been restored after a cyberattack crippled the health system more than a month ago.

According to a spokesperson, patients should see improved appointment scheduling, wait times for appointments, and prescription fulfillment. Despite the restoration, medical records and other information collected between May 8 and the date of local EHR restoration may be temporarily inaccessible. Portal messages may also experience a slight delay.

The hospital system is still working to restore additional systems and investigate the ransomware attack.

Ascension said the attack was the result of a mistake. An employee at one of the hospital system's facilities accidentally downloaded a malicious file they thought was legitimate.

Instead, the attackers created headaches for doctors and nurses who couldn't pull up patient files and struggled to provide timely care in the emergency room.