Bigfork Valley Hospital Data Breach Investigation
Strauss Borrelli PLLC, a leading data breach law firm, is investigating Bigfork Valley Hospital (“Bigfork Valley”) regarding its recent data breach. The Bigfork Valley data breach involved sensitive personal information and protected health information belonging to over 8,400 individuals.
ABOUT BIGFORK VALLEY HOSPITAL:
Bigfork Valley is a 20-bed critical access hospital located in Minnesota. Founded in 1941, Bigfork Valley’s facility and services include diagnostics with extensive imaging and laboratory equipment, a surgery center that supports hip and knee replacement surgery as well as general surgeries and chronic pain management, and physical and occupational rehabilitation.3 Additionally, Bigfork Valley’s facility includes a retail pharmacy and chiropractic clinic, as well as specialty care, including orthopedics, wound care, podiatry, and other specialists.3 Headquartered in Bigfork, Minnesota, Bigfork Valley employs over 200 individuals.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Recently, Bigfork Valley announced that the sensitive personal identifiable information and protected health information in its care may have been accessed. According to the breach notice, on November 26, 2024, Bigfork Valley identified suspicious activity associated with one email account.1 As a result, Bigfork Valley launched an investigation to determine the nature of the incident.
Through its investigation, Bigfork Valley confirmed that sensitive personal information in its systems may have been compromised by an unauthorized third party on November 4, 2024. As a result, Bigfork Valley began a review of the data to determine what information had been impacted as well as identify the specific individuals affected. While the information impacted varies depending on the individual, the type of information potentially exposed includes:
- Name
- Social Security number
- Date of birth
- Phone number
- Driver’s license or state identification number
- Financial account number
- Medical information (e.g., patient account number, diagnosis, treatment, procedure information, cost of treatment, medical history or allergies, prescription drug information, lab test results or images, date of admission or treatment, treatment location, healthcare provider name)
- Health insurance member number
- Medicare or Medicaid number
As a result of the data breach, Bigfork Valley posted a notice of the incident on its website. Additionally, on March 25, 2025, Bigfork Valley began sending breach notification letters to impacted individuals. Based on the website breach notice, Bigfork Valley is providing affected individuals with a list of the specific types of sensitive information impacted. A link to the form breach notification that Bigfork Valley posted to its website is below.
If you received a breach notification letter from Bigfork Valley Hospital:
We would like to speak with you about your rights and potential legal remedies in response to this data breach. Please fill out the form, below, or contact us at 872.263.1100 or sam@straussborrelli.com.
