Cyber attack Health Care

CherryHugs · ‎07-21-2014

Desperate patients around the country have been forced to choose between paying out of pocket for essential medications or forgoing them entirely as the aftermath of a cyberattack stretches into its third week.

Change Healthcare, a little-known but critical subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, detected the attack on Feb. 21. Since then, pharmacies, doctors offices and patients say their lives and work have been upended due to widespread outages in systems commonly used for medical billing and insurance claims.

Disruptions to co-pay assistance and coupon card processing at pharmacies, in particular, have highlighted key vulnerabilities in a system on which people’s lives depend.

Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light. —Helen Keller

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

This is scary and only the beginning. It's going to get much worse. The best way to fight and win a war is to attack the grid and take down the internet.

Cyber warfare is here to stay. Almost everything we do or depend on involves computers.

It is no longer IF it happens, but WHEN it happens.

I hope things get fixed quickly. I feel for those who need their meds and medical care.

granddi · ‎03-16-2010

Just read that the AMA wants some emergency funding for doctors bc offices have not been able to file ins claims and thus delay in getting paid.

cheriere · ‎12-01-2023

@CherryHugs I sure hope mine hasn't been targeted, but I'm kind of nervous. I had to go to my specialist March 1st and I again had to pay $200 out of pocket towards a deductible they claimed I hadn't met.

I know I've met it. Then yesterday, I received a letter from Medicare saying it was met at the end of January. I guess I'm gonna have to bring the letter along with me whenever I have to go back to the dr.

bikerbabe · ‎03-09-2010

I was talking about this with my sister today. The hospital system that she works for processes their claims through Change: they handle 50% of claims nationwide. There are already cash flow problems.

Hospitals, private practices, pharmacies are all affected and Change is massive. There’s no way to get payments and approvals and providers are being told to call in but the phone systems crash because it’s overloaded.

Basically, there’s no way for anyone to get payment for services. Groups are never cash-flush and meeting payroll for everyone from nurses, office personnel, doctors, technicians is in jeopardy.

Some patients have had to pay cash for meds.