UnitedHealth says wide swath of patient files may have been taken in cyberattack – Orange County Register

By Tom Murphy | The Associated Press

UnitedHealth says files containing personal information that could cover a “substantial portion of people in America” ​​may have been recovered during the cyberattack earlier this year on its Change Healthcare business.

The company said Monday after markets closed that it saw no sign that medical records or full medical histories had been released after the attack. But it may take several months of analysis before UnitedHealth can identify and notify those affected.

UnitedHealth said some screenshots containing protected health information or personally identifiable information were posted for about a week online on the dark web, which standard browsers cannot access.

The company is still monitoring the internet and dark web and said no additional files have been released. It launched a website to answer questions and a call center. But the company said it would not be able to provide details on the impact on individual data.

The company also offers free credit monitoring and identity theft protection to those affected by the attack.

UnitedHealth bought Change Healthcare in a roughly $8 billion deal closed in 2022 after surviving a challenge from federal regulators. The U.S. Department of Justice had sued earlier this year to block the deal, arguing it would harm competition by putting too much information about health care claims in the hands of ‘one company.

UnitedHealth said in February that a ransomware group gained access to some systems at its Change Healthcare business, which provides technology used to submit and process insurance claims.

The attack disrupted payment and claims processing across the country, straining medical practices and healthcare systems.

Federal civil rights investigators are already looking into whether any protected health information was exposed in the attack.

UnitedHealth said Monday it was still restoring services disrupted by the attack. She first focused on restoring those that affect patients’ access to care or medication.

The company said pharmacy services and medical claims have returned to near normal levels. It said the payment process had returned to about 86% of its pre-attack level.

UnitedHealth said last week when it reported its first-quarter results that the company had provided more than $6 billion in advance financing and interest-free loans to health care providers affected by the attack.

UnitedHealth suffered an $872 million loss from the cyberattack in the first quarter, and company officials said that amount could exceed $1.5 billion for the year.

UnitedHealth Group Inc., based in Minnetonka, Minn., runs one of the nation’s largest health insurers. It also operates one of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit management companies, provides healthcare and offers technology services.

The company slipped nearly $3 to $488.36 midday Tuesday, while broader indexes climbed.