UnitedHealth, the health care giant, is currently in the process of testing the last major system it must restore following last month's cyberattack on Change Healthcare. The company announced on Monday that it is testing software for submitting medical claims, a crucial step in the recovery process. UnitedHealth has already made significant progress in restoring systems for handling pharmacy claims and processing payments.
Change Healthcare, a provider of technology used to submit and process insurance claims, fell victim to a ransomware attack by the group ALPHV, also known as Blackcat. This cyberattack has been described by the American Hospital Association as the most significant and consequential incident of its kind against the U.S. health care system. The disruption caused by the attack has made it difficult for hospitals to provide care, submit insurance claims, and receive payments.
Federal civil rights investigators have announced that they will be looking into whether protected health information was exposed in the attack. Despite the challenges posed by the cyberattack, UnitedHealth has been working diligently to restore Change Healthcare's systems. Earlier this month, the company successfully restored the system for processing prescriptions, which informs pharmacies how much to charge patients based on their coverage.
Just last week, UnitedHealth was able to restore Change Healthcare's electronic payments platform, facilitating billing and payments between care providers and payers such as insurers. In response to the attack, UnitedHealth has announced that it is expanding temporary funding to support doctors and other care providers affected by the cyberattack. Additionally, the federal government is offering temporary advance payments for Medicare claims to help alleviate the financial strain caused by the attack.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department, supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group, is closely monitoring the situation. UnitedHealth has yet to provide a specific date for completing the recovery process, but the company remains committed to restoring all systems affected by the cyberattack.
