The cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a technology unit of UnitedHealth Group, has caused delays in orders at several pharmacies. The attack, which began on Wednesday afternoon, resulted in some applications being unavailable.
Change Healthcare stated that it was experiencing network interruptions related to cybersecurity issues and that security experts had taken immediate action to protect partners and patients.
As of Friday morning, the cybersecurity threat was ongoing, and Change Healthcare believed it was specific to their systems, with no other systems across UnitedHealth Group affected.
Health-Care Tech Company (Credits: Regional Media News)
The company did not disclose the specific nature of the incident but stated that the disruption was expected to last at least through the day, with updates to be provided as more information became available.
The outage has affected several pharmacy chains, including CVS Health, Walgreens, and Publix Super Markets. CVS stated that it was unable to process insurance claims in certain cases but was committed to ensuring access to care during the interruption.
Walgreens reported that a small percentage of prescriptions may be affected but that plans were in place to fill prescriptions with minimal delay or interruption. Users also complained online about disruptions at independent pharmacies, GoodRX, and BlueCross BlueShield.
UnitedHealth Group completed its merger of healthcare services Optum with Change Healthcare in 2022, allowing Optum access to tens of millions of American patient records. The Hill has reached out to UnitedHealth Group for comment on the ongoing disruption.
In summary, the cyberattack on Change Healthcare has led to delays in pharmacy orders, with several pharmacy chains experiencing disruptions. Change Healthcare is working to address the issue and protect its partners and patients.
The ongoing threat is specific to Change Healthcare, with no other systems in UnitedHealth Group affected. The disruption is expected to last at least through the day, and updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
CVS Health, Walgreens, and Publix Super Markets are among the pharmacies affected, with CVS unable to process insurance claims in some cases. UnitedHealth Group’s merger with Change Healthcare in 2022 has allowed access to millions of patient records, and the company is working to mitigate the impact of the cyberattack.
