Change Healthcare, which suffered a ransomware attack last month cutting providers off from payer reimbursements, is offering doctors a temporary loan program to tide them over until the UnitedHealth Group technology company's systems can be fixed.
While the cyberattack initially appeared to disrupt only pharmacy operations, its effects have spread to many other providers, underscoring the vulnerability of the nation's interconnected and digitized health system.
Jeffrey B. Miller, JD, director-in-charge of healthcare consulting firm Granite GRC in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, said the breach has blindsided the industry and should serve as a wake-up call to shore up vulnerabilities. Without electronic systems to conduct many financial and administrative processes, he toldthat providers are shifting to labor-intensive decades-old methods, like direct data entry into payer portals, for claims submission.