Oklahoma City Indian Clinic Suffers Ransomware Attack

The Oklahoma City Indian Clinic (OKCIC) has confirmed a ransomware attack that occurred on March 10, 2022. The incident led to a network disruption, causing delays and access issues with the pharmacy department. The attack forced the clinic to shut down its automatic refill line and mail order service of its pharmacy department, requiring patients to call the pharmacy for needed refills.

The Oklahoma City Area Indian Health Service serves the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, and portions of Texas, with a large number of Tribal Health Care Facilities and Programs, including large-scale hospitals and smaller preventive care programs. The clinic has been working with its IT staff and third-party specialists to find a resolution, but the pharmacy delays continue for an undetermined amount of time.

The attack affected the pharmacy department, causing delays and access issues. Patients were advised to call the pharmacy for needed refills, which required them to provide prescription information, including drug dosages, chart numbers, provider names, and directions, with a government-provided ID.

The breach notice revealed that the forensic evidence could not rule out the possibility that certain patient information was accessed by the attacker. All patients with information contained in the network were being notified, and potentially compromised data could include names, dates of birth, treatments, prescriptions, medical records, provider information, health insurance policy numbers, phone numbers, Tribal ID numbers, Social Security numbers, and driver's license numbers.

The clinic has since reset account passwords and implemented further security measures to protect information. All patients will receive free credit monitoring and identity protection services.

The attack on the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic is a reminder of the increasing threat of ransomware attacks on healthcare providers, which often have rich data but may not secure it to the same level as banks. Hospitals are advised to focus on patient care but also prioritize securing their patient data to prevent such attacks in the future.

Sources

• Oklahoma City Area | Indian Health Service (IHS)
• Still recovering, Oklahoma clinic confirms ransomware attack, data breach - Healthcare IT News
• Ransomware attack affecting Hillcrest hospitals - Tulsa World