Health insurance IT giant faces cyberattack, disrupting businesses of doctors, therapists

TLDR:

• A cyberattack on health insurance IT giant, Change Healthcare, continues to disrupt the business of doctors and therapists.
• Healthcare professionals are facing challenges in billing and processing insurance claims, potentially impacting revenue and patient care.

Cyberattack on insurance giant disrupting business for doctors, therapists

CNN reported that healthcare professionals from Maryland to New York are facing challenges following a cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a unit of UnitedHealth. The attack has disrupted insurance processing, causing concerns about revenue and patient care.
Raeya Disney, a psychotherapist in Maryland, shared her worries about the billing outage potentially impacting her office space. Purvi Parikh, an allergist in New York, highlighted the burden the hacking incident has placed on healthcare providers to find alternatives for claims submission.
The cyberattack has led to significant financial losses for healthcare providers, with some estimating over $100 million per day. The situation has raised concerns among senior US cyber officials, who have noted the ransomware gang responsible for the attack and its impact on the entire healthcare sector.
Steps are being taken to address the disruption, with Elevance Health disconnecting from Change Healthcare and health organizations employing alternative clearing houses for claims submissions. Despite efforts to remediate the situation, some healthcare professionals are still facing challenges in processing insurance.
The American Hospital Association has reported ongoing issues with insurance claims processing, reiterating that the cyberattack was not just an isolated incident but a systemic attack on the healthcare sector.