The American Hospital Association (AHA) shared that the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) have announced new measures to help healthcare providers continue to offer services amidst the cyberattack on Change Healthcare. These measures include fast-tracked claims processing, guidance for Medicare Advantage and Part D programs to ease prior authorization, utilization management, and filing requirements, and waivers or extensions available through Medicare Administrative Contractors, in addition to paper claim submissions. CMS is also urging Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program agencies to offer the same flexibilities during the Change Healthcare system outages.
In response to the cyberattack’s impact, AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack has issued a statement to the media, calling it the most significant and consequential incident of its kind against the US healthcare system in history. Hospitals have struggled to provide patient care, fill prescriptions, submit insurance claims, and receive payment for essential healthcare services in the past two weeks. The AHA has requested Congress to work on meaningful solutions to preserve 24/7 access to care, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has urged CMS to immediately make Accelerated and Advanced Payments available to affected hospitals, pharmacies, and providers. He also urged federal law enforcement agencies to hold the perpetrators accountable for the attack.
