Chris Holman welcomes back Brian Peters, CEO, of MHA, the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, Lansing, MI

Watch Brian and Chris discuss recent cyberattack to Change Healthcare, summarizing what happened and how it has impacted Michigan hospitals and health systems in the YouTube video shared below:

Chris had several Questions for Brian:

There was a recent cyberattack to Change Healthcare last month. Can you summarize what happened and how it has impacted Michigan hospitals and health systems?

Why are healthcare organizations targeted so much by cybercriminals?

How is the MHA involved in assisting hospitals with cybersecurity?

What can businesses and individuals do to avoid cyberattacks?

More details from MHA on this topic:

Chief Healthcare Executive published an article March 5 about the impact of the Change Healthcare cyberattack on hospitals and health systems across the country. The publication spoke with several state hospital associations representing Michigan, Florida, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Washington. MHA CEO Brian Peters is quoted in the story discussing why healthcare is a frequent target of cybercrimes and what the effects of the attack have been in Michigan.

“We are aware the cybersecurity event has impacted healthcare services, including patients’ ability to receive prescriptions and hospital billing,” said Peters. “However, the impact varies by organization, depending on each hospital’s or health systems’ existing relationships with Change Healthcare.”

The MHA has been in close contact with the American Hospital Association (AHA), the Michigan Healthcare Security Operations Center (HSOC) and other partners regarding the Change Healthcare cyberattack that has impacted hospitals nationwide over the past two weeks.

The MHA is gathering, in aggregate, data about the impact of the attack on Michigan hospitals and patients. If your hospital/system hasn’t already done so, please complete this short questionnaire as soon as possible to help the MHA continue to advocate, and tell an accurate story of impact, on members’ behalf. Members with questions about the survey may contact Jim Lee at the MHA.

The latest updates from last week include:

• Federal Advocacy: The AHA, the MHA and other state hospital associations have been urging Congress and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to prioritize and expedite hospital requests for Medicare advanced payments; issue guidance to payers about interim payments, waiving of prior authorizations, not denying claims due to lack of prior authorization and more. A letter was sent to HHS Feb. 26, and was followed up with a letter March 5 to House and Senate leadership requesting whole-government response, and that Congress consider any statutory limitations that may exist for agencies assisting hospitals at this critical time. Members with questions about federal efforts should contact Laura Appel at the MHA.
• Pharmacy: Optum announced that e-prescribing is now fully functional, as are pharmacy claim submission and payment transmission.
• Payments: Electronic payment functionality should be available for connection again March 15.
• Medical Claims: Optum will be testing to reestablish connectivity to their claims network and software March 18, restoring service throughout that week.

Optum announced March 1 a Temporary Funding Assistance Program to help bridge the gap in short-term cash flow needs for providers who received payments from payers that were processed by Change Healthcare. UnitedHealthcare stated they will provide further funding solutions for providers. According to their most recent press release, “This applies to medical, dental and vision providers and will involve advancing funds each week representing the difference between their historical payment levels and the payment levels post attack. Advances will not need to be repaid until claims flows have fully resumed. Providers must complete a one-time registration to access funding. For those who receive funding support, there are no fees, interest or other associated costs with the assistance. For repayment, providers will receive an invoice once standard payment operations resume and will have 30 days to return the funds. These terms now apply to both the original and expanded funding programs.”

Providers must register for the program at the website: www.optum.com/temporaryfunding.

More details on these updates are available on the United Health Group’s website dedicated to updates on this issue. This site also has FAQs, contact points for assistance and more.

Resource reminders:

• AHA tools/updates on Change Healthcare incident.
• CyberForceQ, an MHA-vetted expert and leader in the field for members who need cybersecurity assistance.
• Members with questions about cybersecurity and the HSOC may contact MHA Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer Mike Nowak at the MHA.

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