Georgia-based Change Healthcare, the most important prescription supplier in North America, is reporting that it’s experiencing an ongoing cybersecurity breach, inflicting prescription delays for quite a few pharmacies, together with army pharmacies. Change Healthcare first reported the cyber-attack on Feb 21.
Within the incident tracker on Change Healthcare’s web site, the corporate states that’s has disconnected its programs to forestall additional influence. “At the moment, we consider the difficulty is particular to Change Healthcare, and all different programs throughout UnitedHealth Group are operational,” an announcement revealed on Feb. 22 reads.
The American Hospital Affiliation (AHA) reviews that it “[h]as been in communication with the FBI, Division of Well being and Human Companies, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Safety Company (CISA) concerning this incident.” AHA means that the interruptions may have vital results on the income cycle and recommends healthcare amenities disconnect from Optum programs and take a look at their knowledge backups.
Stat Information’ Bob Herman tweeted the next, “The cyberattack on UnitedHealth’s Change Healthcare is totally disrupting how hospitals & pharmacies can submit claims, and the way insurers will pay them. Hospitals can be on a name w/ FBI, different fed businesses right now.” Healthcare providers government Dan O’Neill responded with, “Underneath-appreciated danger of fixed consolidation. As soon as upon a time, there have been extra smaller clearinghouses, and now there are solely two with ubiquitous attain (Availity and Change), every of which serves because the unique claims & eligibility gateway for some massive insurers.”
“In 2022, medical health insurance big UnitedHealth Group accomplished its merger of U.S. healthcare providers big Optum and Change Healthcare in a $7.8 billion deal, which allowed Optum broad entry to affected person information on tens of tens of millions of People,” Zack Whittaker of TechCrunch reviews.
The particular nature of the cyber-attack stays unknown. This can be a creating story, and Healthcare Innovation will replace readers as new developments emerge.
