Ascension is still grappling with the operational fallout from last year's cyberattack impacting millions of patients.
After discovering the attack in May, Ascension took several weeks to restore its main systems, and clinicians pivoted to paper records and fax machines. Since then, nonprofit Ascension has worked to recover lost revenue and patient volumes negatively impacted by the incident.
Related: Why bigger is not necessarily better at Ascension
St. Louis-based Ascension is seeing some improvement but is not at full recovery, executives say. Same-facility volume improved 5% to 6% since the cyberattack, according to the system's second-quarter earnings report released Friday for fiscal year 2025. Same-facility operating revenue was up 1.5% in the first six months of fiscal 2025.
However, net patient revenue was down 11% in the first six months of fiscal 2025, compared with a year ago, according to the report. Operating expenses, including expenses related to the cyberattack, were up 1.9% in that period. The system reported a $365 million operating loss in the six-month period, compared with a $155 million loss in the year-ago period, the report said.
Ascension spent about $140 million in response to the cyberattack, and resulting operating losses approached $1 billion, CEO Joseph Impicciche said at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in January.
Ascension President Eduardo Conrado was not made available for an interview.
Notifications to government agencies and patients were mostly completed by Dec. 31, in addition to claims submissions for services provided when systems were down. Ascension received more than $1 billion in advanced payments from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other payers in response to the cyberattack and another third-party clearinghouse incident. Those advanced payments were fully recouped by Dec. 31, according to the earnings report.
Meanwhile, Ascension is battling years of financial challenges, including a $1.1 billion net loss in fiscal 2024 and a $2.7 billion net loss in fiscal 2023. The health system said it is focusing on volume growth, rates, pricing and efficiencies to drive improvements.
Ascension is also divesting facilities in multiple states, including Alabama, Michigan and Illinois.
