March 11 UPDATE on Change Healthcare Cybersecurity Issue March 6, 2024

This weekend, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced a new opportunity for physicians impacted by the cyberattack and resulting disruptions with Change Healthcare to request advanced Medicare payments to help with cash flow disruptions. The details of the program, terms, and the steps needed to apply can be found in the links below.  
 
Fact Sheet - https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/change-healthcare/optum-payment-disruption-chopd-accelerated-payments-part-providers-and-advance
 
CMS Statement - https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-statement-continued-action-respond-cyberattack-change-healthcare
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Original post

Change Healthcare, a data analytics, technology, and clearinghouse subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group (UHG), experienced a cybersecurity incident on February 21, 2024. More than a week after the attack, physician practices, hospitals, and retail pharmacies continue to experience disruptions in electronic health care transactions, including claims processing, eligibility verification, and electronic prescribing. The AMA has created a dedicated webpage on this issue, which will be regularly updated as more information becomes available.

For more from the AMA on this issue, please see:

• AMA letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) detailing the significant challenges physicians face due to the Change incident and requesting that HHS use all its available authorities to ensure that practices can continue to function and patients can continue to receive the care that they need.
• AMA statement on HHS response to Change Healthcare cybersecurity incident.
• AMA dedicated webpage on this issue, which will be regularly updated as more information becomes available.

As a reminder, you and your members can submit information about experiences stemming from the Change Healthcare cybersecurity incident to the ama.advocacy@ama-assn.org inbox. Advocacy staff will use the information in our discussions with the Biden Administration as well as UnitedHealth Group (UHG).