Cyberattack on Change Healthcare: A Call to Action for Healthcare Leaders

Cyberattack on Change Healthcare leads to ongoing efforts to restore key functionalities, address financial strain on pharmacies, maintain patient care standards, and address HIPAA concerns.

The efforts are ongoing to address the cyberattack that impacted Change Healthcare, which describes itself as “a provider of revenue and payment cycle management that connects payers, providers, and patients within the U.S. healthcare system.”

UnitedHealth Group, which owns Change Healthcare, has been maintaining a web page that outlines the restoration timeline, available workarounds, financial assistance programs, and additional support measures taken to minimize disruption for healthcare providers and consumers.

What Happened And The Scope of The Attack:

• Change Healthcare processes a massive volume of healthcare transactions, affecting a wide range of patients and providers.

• On Feb. 21, 2024 a cyber attack caused Change Healthcare to make the decision to disconnect its systems. 

• This caused issues with pharmacy, medical claims, and payment processes.

• Delayed payments due to the attack threaten the ability of providers to deliver care effectively.

Since then UnitedHealth and Change Healthcare have been taking actions to restore the systems and functionality.

On March 14, 2024, the company posted this graphic of the restoration timeline: