• Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare continues to suffer from a possible ransomware attack. 
• The hospital was first hit with IT issues late last Thursday night. Ongoing issues have been prolonged through this week with no clear sign of a resolution. 
• The FBI has entered the fold to investigate any potential crimes and assist in operational recovery. 
• Tallahassee Memorial states that its IT team has made progress in removing the malware agents. 

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, one of North Florida’s largest hospitals, is still dealing with the aftereffects of a suspected ransomware attack that hit late last Thursday, rendering the facility’s operations partially unusable. As the Information Technology issues continue to go unresolved, the Federal Bureau of Information (FBI) has stepped in to investigate and potentially remedy the ongoing problems.

Per the hospital’s latest update, its doctors and medical professionals are performing limited surgeries and procedures. Through Feb. 6th, all non-emergency surgical and outpatient procedures scheduled were canceled and rescheduled. Tallahassee Memorial also continues to divert some EMS patients to other hospitals in the area.

The attack has shut down many of the hospital’s systems, including online patient data software. In the meantime, physicians have been forced to document medical data on paper.

“Patients and families may notice the switch to paper documentation during registration, admission, or during their care, as our providers will be using paper forms, prescription pads, handwritten notes, or other similar paper methods where they may usually use an electronic process,” Tallahassee Memorial said.

In a statement to The Capitolist and other various news platforms across the state, the hospital said that its IT Department detected the security issue early and proactively shut down several operating systems to limit the impact.

Though much of the hospital has been rendered inoperable, Tallahassee Memorial’s labor and delivery department continues to provide care.

“If you are in labor or have an emergency requiring care from Labor & Delivery Triage, please come to the Women’s Pavilion,” the hospital said.

As of the most recent update on Monday, Tallahassee Memorial stated it had no further developments on the matter and would be moving to an every-other-day update method, indicating that the malware attack could extend through the week.

“If major developments occur in the meantime, we will provide them when appropriate,” said the statement.

Ransomware attacks introduce malware into an organization’s electronic systems designed to disrupt operations until payment demands are met. Such attacks have become increasingly prevalent within the operating framework of Florida’s healthcare environment, with major hospital systems suffering from crippling attacks that affect the delivery of critical care.