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The fallout from a recent cybersecurity attack has resulted in the departure of Kimberly Hodgkinson, the senior vice president and chief financial officer of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS). The exact circumstances surrounding Hodgkinson’s departure remain unclear, with HSHS declining to provide details.
Hodgkinson, who had 30 years of experience in healthcare finance, joined HSHS in July 2022 after serving as the chief financial officer for Mount Carmel Health System based in Columbus, Ohio. HSHS, a healthcare company based in Springfield, Illinois, operates 15 hospitals and multiple medical clinics in Illinois and Wisconsin.
On September 1, HSHS President and CEO Damond W. Boatwright confirmed that the organization had fallen victim to a cybersecurity incident. The system-wide outage was publicly acknowledged on August 27. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is leading the investigation into the attack. Although HSHS has regained access to the internet and phone services, the restoration of clinical, administrative, and communications systems affected by the attack is still underway.
Efforts are being made to restore services such as MyChart communication, which enables patients to schedule appointments, communicate with care teams, and access test results. HSHS is diligently working to bring all systems back online, but no specific timeframe has been provided. HSHS has not confirmed whether patient medical records were compromised during the cybersecurity incident.
The organization continues to operate most of its sites, with few closures reported in Southern Illinois. HSHS St. John’s Hospital and HSHS St. Francis Hospital have not announced any closures, and HSHS clinics in Springfield remain open. As the investigation into the cybersecurity attack progresses, HSHS is focused on restoring its systems and safeguarding the privacy and security of patient information. Sources: State Journal-Register
