Editor's Note Change Healthcare has started to notify health care providers about patient data stolen in the February cyberattack and announced plans to mail affected individuals as well. A unit of UnitedHealth Group, the organization issued the update June 20. “CHC is providing this notice now to help individuals understand…

Read More

Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced assistance for providers affected by the Change Healthcare cyberattack ends next month. According to the June 17 announcement, payments under the Accelerated and Advance Payment (AAP) Program for the Change Healthcare/Optum Payment Disruption (CHOPD) will end July 12,…

Read More

Editor's Note Ascension has restored electronic health records (EHRs) throughout all hospitals and clinics nationwide, according to a June 14 update from the St. Louis-based health system. "Clinical workflow in our hospitals and clinics will function similarly to the way it did prior to the ransomware attack," the statement reads,…

Read More

Editor's Note Personal patient data could have been compromised in the May 8 cyberattack on Ascension, according to the latest update from the St. Louis-based healthcare system. Posted June 12, the update reveals that attackers accessed files from seven out of 25,000 file servers used for routine tasks, potentially containing…

Read More

Editor's Note Microsoft and Google announced they will offer free or discounted cybersecurity services to rural hospitals in the U.S. to help protect against cyberattacks, CNN reported on June 10. According to the article, Microsoft will provide free security updates, assessments, and staff training, while Google will offer free cybersecurity…

Read More

Editor's Note Ascension, a 140-hospital, St. Louis-based health system disrupted by a May 8 cyberattack, has announced that its electronic medical record (EHR) will be restored by June 14. Becker’s Health IT reported the news June 5. According to that article, the restoration of systems comes after medical records have…

Read More

Editor's Note Doctors are urging the American Medical Association (AMA) to take legal action or otherwise help recoup their losses from the February 21 Cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a division of United HealthGroup. Forbes reported the news June 3. The article cites a a resolution before the AMA’s reference committee on amendments…

Read More

Editor's Note Change Healthcare is responsible for notifying affected parties about privacy breaches resulting from the February cyberattack on the company, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced May 31. The announcement took the form of an update to an FAQ webpage from HHS’ Office for Civil…

Read More

Editor's Note A joint letter from the American Medical Association (AMA) and more than 100 medical organizations asks Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra to confirm that providers do not bear responsibility for legal reporting requirements for information stolen in the Change Healthcare cyberattack, including personal patient data.…

Read More

Editor's Note Hospital head counts and budgets reflect a growing emphasis on cybersecurity, according to a recent Moody’s Investment Service report. As detailed in an April 25 report in Becker’s Health IT, the Moody’s report is based on data from 148 healthcare organizations, 77% of which are hospitals. Cybersecurity team…

Read More