Status: Investigating claims · Last updated November 2026
If you or a loved one was harmed because a hospital’s computer systems were down after a cyberattack, such as delayed treatment, a missed test result, a diverted ambulance or a medication error, you may have a claim. Ransomware attacks on hospitals are no longer just data breaches. They can shut down electronic records, lab systems, imaging and monitoring equipment for days or weeks, putting patients at real risk.
At Wieand Parker Arreola, we are investigating claims involving patient harm and data exposure from hospital cyberattacks. This page explains how these attacks affect care, key cases and who may qualify. Call (215) 666-7777 for a free, confidential case review.
How Ransomware Disrupts Patient Care
When criminals lock up a hospital’s systems, staff often fall back on paper and phone calls. That can lead to:
- Ambulances diverted to farther hospitals, delaying emergency care
- Lab and imaging results that are delayed or lost
- Missing medication histories and allergy information
- Monitoring systems, such as fetal heart monitors, that cannot be viewed centrally
- Canceled surgeries and treatments, including cancer care
- Stretched staff making errors under pressure
Research on hospital cyberattacks has linked them to longer stays, delayed tests and procedures, and more complications.
Hospital Cyberattack Cases
- Alabama infant death. A mother sued Springhill Medical Center in Mobile, Alabama, alleging her baby suffered fatal birth complications during a 2019 ransomware attack. The suit claims the attack kept staff from seeing fetal heart monitoring data and that she was never told the hospital’s systems were down. It is widely described as the first lawsuit linking a death to a hospital ransomware attack, and the parties reached a settlement agreement in April 2024.
- Lehigh Valley Health Network. In Pennsylvania, after a 2023 cyberattack in which hackers posted images of cancer patients online, the health system agreed in September 2024 to a $65 million class settlement.
- Change Healthcare. The 2024 attack on the nation’s largest claims processor disrupted pharmacies and providers nationwide and exposed data on about 190 million people. See our data breach lawsuit page.
Who Can Be Held Responsible
Hospitals have a duty to protect patients, and that includes reasonable cybersecurity and safe backup procedures. Claims may involve:
- Medical malpractice, when care during the outage fell below the standard of care
- Corporate negligence, when a hospital failed to maintain reasonable security or downtime plans
- Failure to inform, when patients were not told that critical systems were down and could have gone elsewhere
- Technology vendors whose security failures allowed the attack
- Data breach claims, when patient information was stolen or published
Who May Qualify
These are the main factors we review:
- Care during a cyberattack. You were treated, admitted, diverted or scheduled at a facility while its systems were down.
- Harm. A delayed diagnosis or treatment, a medication error, a birth injury, a worsened condition or wrongful death.
- What you were told. Whether anyone informed you about the outage.
- Records. Medical records, discharge papers and breach notices.
- Prompt action. Filing deadlines apply, so contact a lawyer promptly to protect your rights.
Getting Your Records
Request your complete medical records, including any paper “downtime” records created during the outage. Keep breach notification letters and any notices about canceled or rescheduled care. Write down what happened and when, including the names of staff you spoke with.
Hospital Ransomware FAQs
Isn’t the hacker responsible, not the hospital?
The criminals are responsible for the attack, but a hospital can also be responsible for weak security and for how it cared for patients during the outage.
Do I need to prove the attack caused my injury?
Yes. You need to connect the disruption to your harm, which usually takes medical records and review by qualified medical professionals. We handle that investigation.
I only received a breach letter. Do I have a claim?
You may have a data breach claim even without a medical injury. See our data breach lawsuit page.
Contact a Hospital Cyberattack Lawyer at Wieand Parker Arreola
If a hospital cyberattack affected your care or exposed your information, contact Wieand Parker Arreola for a free, confidential case review. If we take your case, you pay no fee unless we recover compensation for you. See our data privacy and cybersecurity claims and all of our technology and AI claims.
Call (215) 666-7777 or contact us online for a free case review.
This article is for general information only and is not legal or medical advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Information is current as of November 2026 and may change.
