The operators of four not-for-profit senior living and care communities located in four separate Pennsylvania counties said Friday that they have taken steps to “contain the situation” after finding out that unauthorized people may have accessed private information about the facilities and their residents through the communities’ computers.
Senior Choice, which manages and does business as The Atrium in Johnstown (Cambria County), a personal care home; Beacon Ridge in Indiana (Indiana County), a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility; and The Patriot in Somerset (Somerset County), a personal care home, said that on April 24, it discovered “suspicious activity that affected some internal systems used for business operations.”
In an almost identically worded announcement, The Williamsport Home, a continuing care retirement / life plan community in Williamsport (Lycoming County), said that it had discovered suspicious activity on the same day.
Collectively, the facilities have a capacity for more than 500 residents.
The providers said they have taken steps to “further safeguard the security” of their computer systems.
Although the investigation is ongoing, Senior Choice and The Williamsport Home each said in their separate announcements that evidence exists that “unauthorized actors” accessed their internal business systems between April 18 and 24. “There is no evidence that any software systems used directly for resident care were impacted,” nor have care and services to residents been affected, according to the providers.
They said that unauthorized individuals may have accessed information about resident, provider and facility names; addresses; birth, admission, discharge and death dates; Social Security, medical record, passport, credit card, driver’s license and state identification numbers; medical conditions, diagnoses and treatments; financial accounts; payment amount histories; insurance payment amounts; lab results; medications; dates of service; health insurance; “and any information on an individual that was created, used or disclosed in the course of providing healthcare services.”
The providers advised people who may have been affected to “remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud” and to review account statements and health plan explanation of benefits forms for suspicious activity. Credit bureaus can provide credit reports, credit freezes and other resources, they noted.
The Atrium has 92 beds, Beacon Ridge has 113 beds, The Patriot has 72 beds, and The Williamsport Home has the capacity for 269 residents across settings, according to the state.
