Cyberattack Affects Multiple Residential Care Facilities in Pennsylvania
The Williamsport Home, a retirement village in Pennsylvania, and Senior Choice, Inc., a provider of skilled nursing care at three inpatient facilities in Pennsylvania – The Atrium in Johnstown, Beacon Ridge in Indiana, and The Patriot in Somerset – have been affected by a cyberattack that was detected on April 24, 2023.
Steps were immediately taken to secure the network when the security breach was detected and while the investigation into the cyberattack is ongoing, it has been determined that unauthorized individuals gained access to certain business operation systems between April 18 and April 24, 2023. The systems used directly for residential care do not appear to have been compromised; however, the business systems compromised in the attack contained protected health information that was potentially accessed or obtained.
The types of information that were exposed varied from individual to individual and may have included one or more of the following: Name, address, birth date, admission date, discharge date, death date, medical record number, provider or facility name, medical condition, diagnosis and/or treatment information, lab results, medications, payment amount history information, insurance payment amount information, date of service, Social Security number, financial account information, credit card number, medical information, health insurance information, driver’s license or state identification number, passport number, and any information on an individual that was created, used, or disclosed in the course of providing health care services.
Additional technical safeguards are being implemented to improve security to prevent similar breaches in the future. It has not yet been determined how many individuals have been affected so all individuals that are currently receiving services or have done in the past should therefore be vigilant against any misuse of their information. To meet the breach reporting requirements of the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, the breach has been reported to the HHS by The Williamsport Home and Senior Choice as affecting at least 500 individuals. The totals will be updated when it has been confirmed how many individuals have been affected.
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