May 8 (Reuters) - Hospital operator Ascension reported

disruptions to its clinical operations on Wednesday due to a

suspected cybersecurity incident and advised business partners

to temporarily disconnect from its systems.

Earlier this year, UnitedHealth ( UNH ), the largest U.S.

health insurer, had reported a cyberattack at its technology

unit - one of the worst hacks to hit American healthcare - that

caused widespread disruptions in payments to doctors and health

facilities.

"Out of an abundance of caution we are recommending that

business partners temporarily suspend the connection to the

Ascension environment," the healthcare network said in a

statement.

It said it continues to investigate the situation after

detecting unusual activity on its select technology network

systems. Access to some systems had been interrupted as the

process of assessing the impact and duration of the disruptions

continued, Ascension added.

It had initiated processes to ensure patient care delivery

continues to be safe and minimally impacted, the nonprofit said.

Ascension also said it had engaged third-party expert

Mandiant to assist in the investigation and remediation process

and notified the appropriate authorities.

Founded as a Catholic nonprofit in 1999, the network

includes about 134,000 associates, 35,000 affiliated providers

and 140 hospitals, serving 19 states and the District of

Columbia.