Pharmacies Struggling To Fill Prescriptions After Major Cyberattack

Pharmacies across the country are struggling to process prescriptions and insurance claims after a cyberattack against Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group and one of the nation's largest healthcare technology companies.

Change Healthcare, which handles orders and patient payments, said the attack began on Wednesday (February 21).

"At this time, we believe the issue is specific to Change Healthcare, and all other systems across UnitedHealth Group are operational. The disruption is expected to last at least through the day. We will provide updates as more information becomes available," the company said on Friday morning.

In an SEC filing about the incident, UnitedHealth Group said it has "identified a suspected nation-state associated cyber security threat actor" that has "gained access to some of the Change Healthcare information technology systems."

Change Healthcare has taken steps to disconnect dozens of systems following the attack.

The cyberattack impacted numerous healthcare providers, including Tricare, which provides healthcare for active-duty military personnel.

As a result of the attack, Tricare said that military clinics and hospitals will use manual procedures to process prescriptions.

A spokesperson for CVS told Fox Business that the cyberattack is not impacting their ability to fill prescriptions, but it is causing issues with processing insurance claims.

"We're continuing to fill prescriptions, but in certain cases, we are not able to process insurance claims, which our business continuity plan is addressing to ensure patients continue to have access to their medications," the spokesperson said.