PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – When Change Healthcare suffered a system outage in February, thousands of people across Oregon, California and the Midwest experienced pharmacy delays. Some even call it one of the worst cyberattacks in years.
change health careunit of united health groupsays it was the target of a cybercrime attack by a hacker known as Alphv/blackcat on February 21st. As power outages continue, small mental health providers say they have not received payment for services or concrete answers from insurance companies.
But nearly three weeks later, Dr. Prentice Geary of Cascade Counseling Consulting said clinics like his remain in the dark.
“I have to lead my team and keep this clinic running, but I'm scared and will definitely be able to sleep at night until we find answers,” said Prentice Geary of Cascade Counseling Consulting. the doctor said.
Dr. Geary said it's especially difficult when about 50% of customers are enrolled in the largest payer, the Oregon Health Plan.
“They told us there was no solution, and no real formal communication as to when we could expect payment. Just that the claim was pending and that we should not file a claim,” he said. It’s just that,” he said. . “It has downstream effects.”
In response, a CareOregon spokesperson told KOIN 6,There are no schedules for Change Healthcare To restore access to the system, their team set up an alternative clearinghouse and began accepting and processing live claims last week.
“We care deeply about the success of our provider community and are doing everything in our power to respond to this unprecedented event,” a CareOregon statement said. “We are actively communicating with our provider partners to keep them informed of our response. Providers experiencing financial hardship or issues are encouraged to contact CareOregon so we can provide support. We recommend.”
However, with no end in sight, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also issued the following statement: Read the full story on the website.
“HHS is in regular communication with UHG leadership, state partners, and numerous external stakeholders to better understand the nature of the impact and ensure the effectiveness of UHG’s response. HHS has made clear that it expects UHG to do everything in its power to ensure business continuity for all affected healthcare providers, and HHS appreciates UHG's continued efforts to do so. ing.
“…HHS is contacting UHG directly for updates on incident response progress and recovery plans. It highlights the potential cash flow concerns for the public due to their inability to receive.”
