Chicago – March 16, 2024
The United States government asked states on Friday to provide interim reimbursements to healthcare providers affected by the breach at UnitedHealth (UNH.N).
According to the federal health agency, the new guideline from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) permits states to start making interim payments retroactively to the date claims payment processing was disrupted due to the cybersecurity incident.
CMS is reopening the system for some incentives offered to healthcare providers harmed by the attack in the event of uncontrolled circumstances.
Earlier this month, the FDA announced that it would accelerate Medicare and Medicaid payments to select hospitals hit by the cyberattack, as well as encourage Medicare Advantage insurers to provide advance financing to the most afflicted providers.
The US Department of Health and Human Services has also launched an inquiry into the cybersecurity incident, which was carried out by hackers identifying themselves as the “Blackcat” ransomware organization and affected claims processing throughout the United States.
UnitedHealth announced last week that it plans to restore disrupted medical claims and payment platforms by mid-March.
