In the first half of the year alone, cyberattacks targeted more than 200 hospitals and health care networks across the country.
The University of Vermont Medical Center experienced its own cyberattack in late October 2020. And it ended up costing the hospital about $65 million.
UVM Medical Center President Dr. Stephen Leffler testified about the experience on Capitol Hill last week in front of a House of Representatives subcommittee looking into ways to better prepare for cyberthreats.
Leffler said the medical center’s ransomware attack disrupted patient care, putting immense strain on the hospital.
“The extent of the attack was broad," Leffler said. "We didn't have internet. We didn't have phones. It impacted radiology imaging, laboratory results. And because the [electronic medical record] had been shut off, appropriately, we didn't have the EMR for 28 days. We were back to paper."
Leffler said shutting down computer systems protected hospital and patient information. He said dealing with the cyberattack was "much harder than the pandemic by far."
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