Microsoft outage forces Mass General Brigham to cancel non-urgent surgeries, hospital visits
BOSTON - The Microsoft Crowdstrike outage that hit health care systems, as well as airlines, banks and other business around the world Friday, is impacting hospitals and clinics in Massachusetts.
Mass General Brigham cancellations
Mass General Brigham, the largest health care system in the Boston area, said the "major worldwide software outage has affected many of our systems."
"Due to the severity of this issue, all previously scheduled non-urgent surgeries, procedures, and medical visits are cancelled today," spokesperson Noah Brown said in a statement.
"Mass General Brigham remains open to provide care to patients with urgent health concerns in our clinics and emergency departments, and we continue to care for all patients currently receiving care in our hospitals."
Mass General Brigham operates Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, two of the top-ranked hospitals in the nation, along with several clinics, urgent cares and labs.
"We have dedicated every available resource to resolve this issue as quickly as possible, and we apologize for the inconvenience this has caused our patients. It is our highest priority to ensure that our patients receive the safest care possible," Brown said.
Tufts Medical Center
A spokesperson for Tufts Medical Center in Boston told WBZ-TV they are "currently operating under an emergency management structure as we await resolution of this disruption. During this time, we remain open and able to provide safe patient care."
Beth Israel Lahey Health
Beth Israel Lahey Health, which operates 13 hospitals in Massachusetts and one in New Hampshire, said all of their locations are open Friday for patient care.
However, a nurse at one of the hospitals told WBZ staff were called in on their off day to help because the outage was slowing down services. In one instance, nurses were sharing two working computers.
"Please arrive as scheduled for any appointments unless you hear from a member of your care team. Our teams are working to resolve the impacts of a global technology outage and there may be delays," Beth Israel Lahey said on social media.
Nantucket Cottage Hospital
Nantucket Cottage Hospital said the outage "affected many of our systems."
"Due to the severity of this issue, all previously scheduled non-urgent surgeries, procedures, and medical visits are cancelled today," the hospital said in a statement Friday.
Boston EMS
Boston Police and Boston EMS said they didn't have any issues during the outages and both have been able to answer 911 calls for medical emergencies