Wichita, Kansas – Pharmacies in the United States are facing delays in processing prescription orders due to a cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a major health-care technology company. The company, which handles orders and patient payments nationwide, first detected the cyber security issue on Wednesday morning.
Change Healthcare issued a statement acknowledging the network interruption caused by the cyberattack and assured the public that their experts are working to address the matter. The company took immediate action to disconnect their systems to prevent further impact once the outside threat was identified. They promised to provide updates as more information becomes available.
Pharmacies across the country have reported disruptions in their ability to process patients’ orders as a result of the attack on Change Healthcare. Some facilities, such as the 22nd Medical Group based around McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas, have posted notices about temporary pharmacy outages and assured patients that they are working to restore complete services as soon as possible.
Additionally, Canadian Lakes Pharmacy based in Michigan has informed the public about the nationwide outage from some of the largest prescription processors in North America. They mentioned that while they can receive prescriptions, they are unable to bill most insurance plans due to the outage. The service outage is expected to last until tomorrow, but Change Healthcare has not given a definitive timeline for a return to service.
As of now, there is no publicly available report on the nature or origin of the cyber security issue affecting Change Healthcare. The situation remains a concern for pharmacies and patients across the country as they await a resolution to the service outage.