Pit River Health Service in Burney, California, says a cybersecurity incident disrupted access to its electronic health records and dental software, forcing some patients to rely on slower, paper-based processes while systems are restored.
In a Dec. 17 notice to patients, the clinic said it had restored access to some systems and that patient care operations were continuing, though some processes may remain slower than normal.
The clinic said it is still investigating and determined that some information was copied and taken. It said no information was manipulated or deleted, and that the Indian Health Service medical record system was not accessed.
Pit River Health Service is a nonprofit clinic system serving tribal and rural communities in northeastern California, with sites in Burney and Alturas that provide medical, dental and behavioral health services, according to the organization.
As of Dec. 17, the clinic’s updates had been posted directly to patients and on its Facebook page, and no independent media coverage or regulator filings had been identified. The clinic did not respond to requests for comment.
In a prior notice dated Dec. 1, Pit River Health Service said its electronic health records and Dentrix dental systems were temporarily unavailable and asked patients to bring a current list of medications and insurance cards to appointments. At that time, it said there was no evidence patient or billing information had been accessed or compromised.
The day after the first notice, the clinic posted a phishing-awareness message on Facebook urging patients and the community to stay alert for scams.
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Pit River Health Service said it is working with cybersecurity professionals and federal partners and has notified appropriate federal agencies. It said it expects systems to be fully operational by the end of the month and plans another update the first week of January.
The clinic said it will provide information to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights once it determines what was copied and will follow guidance on further steps, including notifying people who may have been affected.
Healthcare organizations nationwide have faced repeated cyber disruptions that can force manual workflows when clinical or administrative systems are taken offline. In California, recent incidents have included reported outages and attacks affecting Watsonville Community Hospital and PIH Health.
No ransomware group or other threat actor has been publicly linked to the incident in materials reviewed by DysruptionHub as of Dec. 17.
An Indian Health Service dental directory listing for Pit River Health Service’s Burney site describes it as a tribal program serving about 1,200 dental patients, with Redding the nearest city above 50,000 residents.
