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 navy 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 methods to forestall additional impression. “At the moment, we imagine the difficulty is particular to Change Healthcare, and all different methods throughout UnitedHealth Group are operational,” a press release revealed on Feb. 22 reads.
The American Hospital Affiliation (AHA) studies that it “[h]as been in communication with the FBI, Division of Well being and Human Providers, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Safety Company (CISA) relating to this incident.” AHA means that the interruptions may have vital results on the income cycle and recommends healthcare amenities disconnect from Optum methods and take a look at their information 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 pays them. Hospitals might be on a name w/ FBI, different fed businesses at this time.” Healthcare providers government Dan O’Neill responded with, “Beneath-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 insurance large UnitedHealth Group accomplished its merger of U.S. healthcare providers large Optum and Change Healthcare in a $7.8 billion deal, which allowed Optum broad entry to affected person data on tens of tens of millions of Individuals,” Zack Whittaker of TechCrunch studies.
The precise nature of the cyber-attack stays unknown. It is a growing story, and Healthcare Innovation will replace readers as new developments emerge.
