Security News > 2021 > March > Post-Cyberattack, Universal Health Services Faces $67M in Losses

The cyberattack that hit Universal Health Services in September has cost the healthcare service provider a whopping $67 million in damages, according to financial statements.

With UHS subsidiaries encompassing 26 acute care hospitals, 328 behavioral health inpatient facilities, and 42 outpatient facilities and ambulatory care centers in 38 states across the U.S., the impact of the cyberattack was far reaching.

That's because the cyberattack forced UHS to both divert ambulance traffic and send patients with elective procedures to "Competitor facilities." The damages also stemmed in part from the associated billing delays for postponed or rescheduled appointments during the timeframe of the attack.

In its initial statement on the attack, UHS did not disclose how it occurred other than to say it was "Due to an IT security issue." The cyberattack left the network scrambling to implement extensive IT security protocols and working to establish back-up processes such as offline documentation methods.

The UHS earnings report gives a rare glimpse into the wide-ranging financial damages facing victims of cyberattacks.

In November a cyberattack left University of Vermont health network scrambling to recover its systems.

News URL

https://threatpost.com/post-cyberattack-universal-health-services-faces-67m-in-losses/164424/