Progress made on restoring systems after disruptive healthcare cyber incident
UnitedHealth has announced advancements in its recovery efforts from the significant cyberattack on Change Healthcare last month, with the final major system—software for submitting medical claims—currently under testing.
While there's no set completion date for the full recovery, the healthcare giant has already significantly restored its systems for handling pharmacy claims and processing payments, according to The Canadian Press.
Change Healthcare, a key technology provider for insurance claims processing handles around 14 billion transactions annually and serves several insurers.
The company disclosed that the ransomware group ALPHV, also known as Blackcat, had infiltrated some of its IT systems, leading to widespread concern.
The American Hospital Association has described this cyberattack as the most severe incident against the US healthcare system to date, highlighting the challenges hospitals faced in delivering care, submitting insurance claims, and receiving payments due to the disruption.
In response to potential privacy concerns, federal civil rights investigators have investigated whether protected health information was compromised during the cyberattack.
UnitedHealth reported progress earlier this month, nearly restoring all of Change Healthcare's prescription processing systems, which inform pharmacies of patient charges based on coverage.
Furthermore, the company recently reinstated Change Healthcare's electronic payments platform, which is essential for billing and payments between care providers and insurers.
UnitedHealth is increasing its temporary funding support to mitigate the impact on care providers affected by the cyberattack. Additionally, the federal government is providing temporary advance payments for Medicare claims, offering further relief to those impacted by the incident.
