Agencies urge UHG, others to step up aid to providers after cyberattack 

In a letter March 10 to health care providers, the departments of Health and Human Services and Labor called on UnitedHealth Group to expedite payments and provide greater transparency to health care providers impacted by the recent cyberattack on its Change Healthcare unit. The departments also called on other commercial insurance companies and payers to make interim payments and ease administrative burdens for impacted providers.

“We welcome the letter from the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Labor that recognizes the unprecedented nature of the Change Healthcare cyberattack and its far-reaching impacts on hospitals, physicians and the health care sector,” said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. “We particularly appreciate the federal government’s call on UnitedHealth Group for increased transparency about this incident and urging the company to step up to take needed actions to provide meaningful payments to hospitals, physicians and other providers so that they can continue timely care for patients.

“It’s critical that all payers help providers during this incident to ensure patient care is not compromised. That includes easing administrative burdens, pausing prior authorizations and requirements on timely billing, and providing advanced payments to hospitals and physicians, among other things, until this issue is fully resolved. Just like the impacted providers, these payers are not responsible for the cyberattack; however, as hospitals and doctors have not wavered from their responsibility to care for their patients despite significant hardship, all payers must too honor their responsibility to support hospitals, physicians and patients for care delivered without delay.

“We recognize that the federal government does have statutory limitations to require private payers to take all the actions that may be needed, and Congress may need to take specific steps to ensure the health care system is not disrupted for patients. We will continue to work with Congress and policymakers as the impacts from the cyberattack persist.”

On March 9, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released additional information on Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payments for hospitals, physicians and other providers impacted by the Change Healthcare cyberattack, including eligibility requirements, repayment terms and how their Medicare Administrative Contractor will determine the payment amount.