Morning Headlines 3/30/16

Statement from MedStar Health Regarding Computer Downtime

10-hospital system MedStar Health is hit with a computer virus that has restricted access to its network and EHR system, forcing users back to paper documentation. Officials from the hospital have not confirmed whether a ransom has been demanded.

Banner to invest $1 billion for facilities in Tucson, Phoenix

Banner Health will implement Cerner at the recently acquired University of Arizona Health Network by 2017, replacing Epic.

Contracts: Defense Logistics Agency

DoD signs a one-year, $77 million extension with Philips Medical Systems to continue using its “patient monitoring systems, subsystems, accessories, consumables, spare/repair parts, and training.”

Security alert! New ransomware found inside Microsoft Word

A new healthcare-focused ransomware package is being passed around within Microsoft Word macros that uses Microsoft’s PowerShell framework to download malicious code and initiate the ransomware attack.