Change Healthcare’s vital clearinghouse platform has been restored after a cyberattack on the UnitedHealth Group subsidiary caused unprecedented billing and payment disruptions for providers nationwide, the company announced on its status webpage.
This is a big step for the technology company after its systems were taken offline following a February ransomware attack that caused widespread disruptions throughout the healthcare system. Change Healthcare operates as the largest clearinghouse for billing and payments in the U.S., processing 15 billion transactions annually and managing about one-third of patient records.
Related: 100M hit by Change Healthcare breach
“Change Healthcare clearinghouse services are now restored and the repayment phase of the Temporary Funding Assistance Program is in process,” the company announced in a recent update on its status webpage.
Health systems, hospitals, insurers, pharmacies, nursing homes, medical groups, infusion centers and other healthcare organizations work with Change Healthcare for prior authorizations, claims submissions, insurance verification, payment and other everyday operations.
UnitedHealth launched a temporary loan program in March for providers facing financial disruptions from the cyberattack. The program drew criticism from the American Hospital Association, which said it had limited eligibility criteria and unfair contract terms. Providers using the program have repaid $3.2 billion as of Oct. 15, according to the update.
Change Healthcare continues to work on restoring its numerous technology platforms nine months after the cyberattack. At least two products are only partially available as of Tuesday, according to the status webpage.
“We continue to notify potentially impacted individuals as quickly as possible, on a rolling basis, given the volume and complexity of the data involved and the investigation is still in its final stages," a spokesperson said Tuesday. “Change continues to update the status of the event."
UnitedHealth expects the Change Healthcare cyberattack will cost it $2.2 billion this year, executives said on its third-quarter earnings call last month. The company also reported fewer customers reconnecting to its platforms after finding other vendors.
The personal information of about 100 million people, or nearly 30% of the U.S. population, was exposed during the breach, the Health and Human Services Department's Office for Civil Rights said last month.
