EDITORIAL: Lovelace needs to provide its patients some straight answers

Many patients remain in limbo following a cybersecurity attack on Lovelace Health System’s parent company, Ardent Health Services, on Thanksgiving.

Patients continue to search for answers regarding rescheduling surgeries and medical procedures, filling prescriptions and other concerns. For more than a week, they have been unable to get a response. Instead, patients must settle for a recorded voicemail indicating a network issue is preventing staff from taking their call. The voicemail also advises patients seeking prescription refills to visit a Lovelace medical location in person.

A patient the Journal spoke with did just that and was told a paper prescription would be issued within 72 hours. He cut his dosages in half out of fear that his prescriptions would not be refilled before he ran out of his medications. Another patient told the Journal he has been trying to reach a live person to find out when his medical procedure will be rescheduled. Patients wait months to get an appointment and are now wondering how long it will take to get rescheduled.

There have been no apologies from the administration regarding inconveniences patients have experienced or information dispersed on what they are doing to fix the problem and restore access to critical resources such as the MyChart app that contains electronic health records. It also is unknown if past health records were recovered or lost forever.

It is unacceptable to keep people in the dark, especially when it comes to their health. Lovelace needs to get ahead of the ball and provide its patients with answers.

Cyberattacks are common in this day and age and it is unsettling that Ardent Health Services was caught off guard and did not have a backup plan in case it was targeted. Now is the time to find a solution and put a plan into place to ensure this never happens again.