Change's Assurance and Relay Exchange are cloud-hosted applications that rely on authentication services. Assurance is a medical claims and remittance management software, while Relay Exchange acts as a clearinghouse which checks insurance claims for errors.
The American Hospital Association has called the cyberattack "the most significant and consequential incident of its kind against the U.S. health care system." The association said the disruption from the attack made it harder for hospitals to provide care, submit insurance claims and get paid.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) new guidance allows states to start making interim payments retroactively to the date when claims payment processing was disrupted due to the cybersecurity incident, the federal health agency said.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) new guidance allows states to start making interim payments retroactively to the date when claims payment processing was disrupted due to the cybersecurity incident, the federal health agency said.
United's Change Healthcare unit is a vital lynchpin in the complex U.S. system for making and clearing insurance claims. The disruptions also impacted electronic pharmacy refills.
Following a cyberattack on its IT business Change Healthcare that affected services, UnitedHealth Group announced that electronic prescription for its pharmaceutical services is now fully operational, and that claims submission and payment transfer are also available. On Thursday, UnitedHealth announced that its payments platform's electronic payment feature will be accessible for connection on March 15. The company also stated that it anticipates starting testing and reestablishing connectivity to its medical claims network and software on March 18.
The cyberattack on Change, disclosed on Feb.21, was perpetrated by hackers who identified themselves as the "Blackcat" ransomware group and has had a knock-on effect on players across the U.S. healthcare system.
Large hospital chains are also locked out of processing payments with some absorbing the upfront costs of being unable to collect, according to the American Hospital Association (AHA), which represents nearly 5,000 hospitals, healthcare systems, networks and other providers.
Health insurers are seeing a rise in payouts as staffing shortages ease at hospitals and older adults covered under Medicare catch up on missed hip and knee replacements as well as other non-urgent surgeries delayed during the pandemic.
The company, at a Goldman Sachs healthcare conference, said it was seeing elevated demand for outpatient healthcare services, especially related to knees and hips, from patients in its Medicare health plans for 65 year old and above.
One of the oldest health insurers in the US, Cigna saw its medical cost ratio - or spending on claims as a percentage of premiums - fall to 81.3 per cent from 81.5 per cent thanks to higher premiums and lower COVID-19 costs. Market expectations were pegged at 82.1 per cent, according to four analysts polled by Refinitiv.
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