Liberty Hospital confirms cyberattack led to computer issues
LIBERTY, Mo. — Liberty Hospital has confirmed its computer problems that started last week are the result of a cyberattack.
When the issue began Dec. 19, the hospital said it proactively took its entire computer network offline.
Kansas City man’s car stolen three times in 2023: ‘It just feels like an epidemic’
Liberty Hospital also had to transfer dozens of critical care patients to other Kansas City-area hospitals, and clinical staff adjusted their processes to care for remaining patients.
Meanwhile, the hospital said it continued to perform low-risk procedures and accepted walk-in patients in the emergency room. Just before Christmas weekend, the emergency department also opened to ambulances.
Hospital leaders did advise emergency room wait times may be longer than usual.
In an update Thursday, Liberty Hospital leaders said they also called in cybersecurity specialists to determine what happened and get affected systems back online.
The hospital said experts are still working to confirm the extent of the cybersecurity incident and don’t have a definitive recovery timeline yet. They have not confirmed if any data was exposed.
Download the FOX4 News app on iPhone and Android
“We regret any inconvenience this event has caused our patients, community and staff,” Liberty Hospital said in a statement.
“We continue to make progress with bringing more systems and capabilities online. Our admissions, visits to the emergency department, surgeries and visits to primary and specialty care clinics are increasing daily.”
Anyone with questions about an upcoming appointment can call their clinic or Liberty Hospital in advance.
