Change Healthcare, a major player in U.S. healthcare technology, has acknowledged that its systems have been targeted in a cyberattack. The company has revealed that it is currently grappling with a network interruption due to a cybersecurity issue. In response to this external threat, Change Healthcare promptly disconnected its systems to mitigate further impact, prioritizing the protection of its partners and patients. As a result, the disruption is anticipated to persist throughout the day.
Key Takeaway
Change Healthcare has confirmed a cyberattack, leading to a network interruption, and has taken immediate measures to safeguard its partners and patients.
Details of the Cybersecurity Incident
The specific nature of the cybersecurity incident has not been disclosed by Change Healthcare. At the time of writing, most of the login pages for Change Healthcare were inaccessible or offline, indicating the impact of the cyberattack on its systems.
Local Outages and Impact
Local pharmacies, particularly in Michigan, have reported outages attributed to the cyberattack on Change Healthcare. Scheurer Health, a healthcare provider in Michigan, has communicated that it is currently unable to process prescriptions through patients’ insurance due to a “nationwide outage from the largest prescription processor in North America,” referring to Change Healthcare.
Change Healthcare’s Role in the Healthcare System
Change Healthcare holds a significant position in the U.S. healthcare technology landscape, handling patient payments across the healthcare system. The company processes a staggering 15 billion healthcare transactions annually and is involved in managing one-in-three U.S. patient records through its clinical connectivity solutions.
Merger and Ownership
In 2022, UnitedHealth Group finalized its merger of Optum and Change Healthcare in a $7.8 billion deal. This merger provided Optum with extensive access to patient records for tens of millions of Americans. Optum, which offers technology and data to insurance companies and healthcare services, is also under the ownership of UnitedHealth Group.
Despite the severity of the cyberattack and its implications, neither spokespeople for Change Healthcare nor UnitedHealth Group have provided a comment in response to the incident.
