Month: March 2024

March 25, 2024

TIM BRODERICK 
LAUREN BERRYMAN 

The healthcare industry is starting to play catch-up following a cyberattack on UnitedHealth Group’s Change Healthcare subsidiary nearly five weeks ago that forced the company to disconnect its vital everyday systems.

Change Healthcare processes about 50% of medical claims and manages prior authorization requests and reimbursement processes. The unprecedented network outage has forced hospitals, nursing homes, pharmacies and other providers to scramble as they try to mitigate operational and financial challenges.

March 13, 2024

LAUREN BERRYMAN   

The federal government has launched an investigation into UnitedHealth Group and its Change Healthcare subsidiary regarding the unprecedented cyberattack inflicted on the technology company that has wreaked havoc throughout the healthcare system.

Melanie Fontes Rainer, director of the Health and Human Services Department’s Office for Civil Rights, announced the probe Wednesday in a letter addressed to colleagues. 

The agency is looking into whether protected health data was compromised and if UnitedHealth has complied with breach notification requirements and federal privacy and security rules.

March 05, 2024

LAUREN BERRYMAN   

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has rolled out efforts to help providers navigate the Change Healthcare outage disrupting healthcare operations nationwide, the Health and Human Services Department announced Tuesday.

CMS ordered its claims administrators to assist pharmacies, hospitals and others that need to use alternate means to process transactions while Change Healthcare, part of UnitedHealth Group’s Optum subsidiary, works to get its systems back online following a Feb. 21 cyberattack. The agency also offered assistance to address the financial squeeze some providers are enduring.