Radiology provider Akumin restores most systems following ransomware attack
Akumin Inc. has restored most of its systems following a recent ransomware attack, leaders announced Thursday.
The Plantation, Florida-based radiology and oncology services provider said it is again able to schedule patient appointments at most locations. All of Akumin’s cancer centers are caring for patients with predefined treatment plans, and most mobile and fixed-site imaging operations are online and accepting appointments. These moves mark “important milestones” following the October cyberattack, the company said in an SEC filing.
“While the majority of our systems are restored, some of our locations remain temporarily closed as a result of the recent ransomware incident,” Akumin said in its Nov. 2 update. “Services are being restored across different locations with differing timelines as quickly and safely as possible,” it added later.
The company’s website listed seven imaging centers as still being shuttered as of Thursday, including six in Delaware and another in Florida.
Akumin first noticed suspicious activity in its information technology network on Oct. 11, with leaders immediately working to secure networks and shut down systems. On Oct. 19, the company said it was temporarily postponing most clinical and diagnostic operations amid the attack, anticipating a reopening when IT systems were deemed “safe and secure.”
Akumin also recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, seeking to cancel $470 million in debt. Leaders provided further details about the process in an Oct. 27 SEC filing, with Akumin borrowing $55 million from lender Stonepeak last week. The money was used to pay in full all outstanding principal and interest owed under its revolving credit line.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.