Reports indicate that pharmacies throughout the United States are currently experiencing widespread outages as a result of a significant cyberattack. Change Healthcare, a prominent healthcare technology company, disclosed that its network was targeted by a cybersecurity attack on Wednesday. The disruption is anticipated to persist for the entire day. The Tennessee-based company stated that it encountered enterprise-wide connectivity problems starting at 5 a.m. EST, necessitating the immediate disconnection of systems.
The company’s experts are actively working to resolve the cyber security issue. It is important to note that only Change Healthcare is affected, and all other systems within UnitedHealth Group remain operational. Change Healthcare plays a crucial role in managing orders and patient payments nationwide. The disruption is also impacting the ability to file claims for prescriptions, as reported by a pharmacy in New Bern, North Carolina. Customers at pharmacies are being requested to pay in cash, according to WCTI, which has received numerous calls from concerned viewers.
This cyberattack, initially detected on the company’s East Coast network early Wednesday morning, has significantly disrupted the normal operations of local pharmacies.
The disruptions in prescription processing are more than just inconveniences; they have a significant effect on patient care and the availability of essential medications. Following the merger with Optum, a major healthcare services provider, in 2022, Change Healthcare has been diligent in keeping stakeholders informed about the situation. In a recent statement at 11 am EST, Change Healthcare acknowledged that they are currently dealing with a cyber security problem, and their specialists are actively working to resolve the issue.
“Once we became aware of the outside threat, in the interest of protecting our partners and patients, we took immediate action to disconnect our systems to prevent further impact.
“At this time, we believe the issue is specific to Change Healthcare and all other systems across UnitedHealth Group are operational.
“The disruption is expected to last at least through the day.
“We will provide updates as more information becomes available.”
This afternoon, Security Week reported that Change Healthcare has revealed that an external threat was responsible for the disruption, leading the company to disconnect its systems in order to contain the incident. Although Change Healthcare did not specify the exact nature of the cyberattack it experienced, it is possible that ransomware was involved, as disconnecting affected systems from the network is a common response to such attacks.
In 2022, Change Healthcare merged with Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, resulting in the creation of one of the largest healthcare technology companies in the United States. As an organization, Change Healthcare manages payment processes for healthcare providers and payers nationwide.
With access to the medical records of approximately one-third of all US patients and handling billions of healthcare transactions annually, the disruption caused by the incident has had a significant impact on the healthcare system, leading to certain pharmacies being unable to process prescriptions.
“Due to a nationwide outage from the largest prescription processor in North America, we are currently unable to process prescriptions at any of our four locations of Scheurer Family Pharmacy,” Scheurer Health announced.
“We are still able to accept prescriptions, but unable to process them through your insurance.”
Reports have emerged of numerous major U.S. cities experiencing cell service blackouts across multiple networks on Thursday.
According to Slay News, the cell service disruptions have raised concerns about a potential coordinated cyberattack. The problem has resulted in AT&T iPhone users being restricted to SOS mode, limiting their ability to make calls solely to emergency services. Certain X users have indicated that their cities are completely devoid of service.
Service interruptions have been noted in various locations including New York, Boston, Washington, Montreal, Honolulu, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Francisco.
