Kootenai Health, located in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, has disclosed a significant data security incident that has potentially affected the personal and health information of its employees, their dependents, and patients. On March 2, 2024, the healthcare provider identified unusual activity disrupting access to its IT systems. Following this discovery, Kootenai Health took immediate action to secure its digital environment and enlisted cybersecurity experts to investigate the breach. The investigation revealed that unauthorized access to data occurred around February 22, 2024.
The compromised information may include names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver’s license or government-issued IDs, medical record numbers, treatment and condition details, diagnoses, medication information, and health insurance details. Kootenai Health has since conducted a thorough review of the affected data to determine the full scope of the breach and verify the contact information for those impacted. As of August 1, 2024, the review process was completed, and notification letters were sent to affected individuals on August 12, 2024.
Despite the breach, Kootenai Health reported no disruption to its operations or patient services. The organization has cooperated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and implemented additional security measures to prevent future incidents. Kootenai Health is offering one year of free identity protection and identity theft recovery services to those affected. Individuals who have not received a notification letter can verify their eligibility for these services by contacting the established call center.
To help affected individuals protect their personal information, Kootenai Health advises monitoring financial accounts for suspicious activity, reporting identity theft to law enforcement, and obtaining a free credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies. Additional resources and guidance on safeguarding personal information are provided in the notification letters. Kootenai Health remains committed to the privacy and security of its data and continues to work on enhancing its cybersecurity measures.
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