NEW YORK, NY – Pharmacies across the United States are facing delays in prescription orders after a cyberattack targeted Change Healthcare, a major healthcare technology company based in the U.S. The cyber security issue, which was identified on the East Coast on Wednesday morning, has caused disruptions in the company’s network, affecting its ability to process orders and patient payments.
According to a statement from Change Healthcare, immediate action was taken to disconnect the systems in order to prevent further impact once the outside threat was detected. The company’s experts are currently working on addressing the matter, and updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
As a result of the cyberattack, pharmacies across the country have reported disruptions in their ability to process patients’ orders. Medical centers, such as the 22nd Medical Group in Kansas, have issued notices about temporary pharmacy outages while they work on resolving the issue.
Canadian Lakes Pharmacy based in Michigan also reported a nationwide outage from some of the largest prescription processors in North America. The pharmacy informed their customers that while they can still receive prescriptions, they may not be able to bill most insurance plans until the issue is resolved.
In response to the situation, a spokesperson for CVS stated that while they are aware of the outages, there is no indication that CVS Health’s systems have been compromised. The company has implemented business continuity plans to minimize disruption and ensure access to care for their customers and members.
The service outage is expected to last until Friday, but there is no definitive timeline from Change Healthcare regarding a return to service. As pharmacies work to resolve the disruptions caused by the cyberattack, patients may experience delays in filling prescriptions and processing insurance claims.