Understanding the impact of hospital ransomware attacks on health outcomes in New Jersey

Ransomware attacks on U.S. hospitals have surged to "crisis levels," crippling IT systems, disrupting patient care, and—in 25% of cases—increasing mortality. Despite these severe consequences, no study has systematically measured the impact of such attacks on clinical outcomes in New Jersey. This project fills that gap by analyzing how ransomware incidents affect patient health. Hospitals are frequent targets due to their reliance on health IT systems and often inadequate cybersecurity. Hackers exploit these vulnerabilities, knowing hospitals may pay ransoms quickly to restore critical care access. Using the New Jersey Emergency Medical Services (EMS), hospital discharge, and mortality data, this study will investigate the effect of ransomware attacks on hospitals in New Jersey by comparing attacked and non-attacked hospitals. Key metrics include ambulance diversions, admissions, procedures, costs, mortality, and readmissions, with analysis stratified by condition severity ("deferrable" vs. "nondeferrable"), comorbidities, and demographics. The research will also assess spillover effects on nearby hospitals and identify cybersecurity practices that reduce harm. Findings will inform urgent policy recommendations to improve hospital and federal cybersecurity protocols, mitigating future risks to patient care.