Hollywood Hospital ‘Victim of Cyber Attack'

A Southern California hospital was a victim of a cyber attack, interfering with day-to-day operations, the hospital's president and CEO said.

Updated Article: Hospital Pays Ransom

Staff at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center began noticing "significant IT issues and declared an internal emergency" on Friday, said hospital President and CEO Allen Stefanek.

A doctor who did not want to be identified said the system was hacked and was being held for ransom.

There is no information that any patient or employee information was compromised, but the hospital called in computer forensics experts, and the FBI and the LAPD to investigate.

The hospital's emergency room have been sporadically impacted since Friday, Stefanek said.

The unnamed doctor said that departments are communicating by jammed fax lines because they have no email and that medical office staff does not have access to email.

The computers are essential for documentation of patient care, transmittal of lab work, sharing of X-rays and CT scans, the doctor said. Also, previous medical records for patients who have been admitted previously and who are newly admitted are inaccessible, "very dangerous."

Some outpatients have missed treatments, he said.

Many patients there were transported to other hospitals.