Medical care providers across the United States, ranging from urgent care chains to primary care physicians, are facing significant financial difficulties following a cyberattack that disrupted the country's largest medical billing and payment system, operated by Change Healthcare, a unit of UnitedHealth Group. This attack, which occurred two weeks ago, has left hundreds of providers unable to process insurance approvals and payments for services, leading to a cash squeeze that threatens their operations. In response, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced measures to alleviate financial pressures, including allowing Medicare reimbursements and urging health insurers to relax prior authorization rules. Despite these efforts, it is unclear whether these measures will fully bridge the operational and financial gaps caused by the still-offline services of Change Healthcare, a critical digital intermediary in the healthcare system.

Cyberattack Paralyzes the Largest U.S. Health Care Payment System New York Times

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced it will no longer charge customers for transferring their data out of its cloud ecosystem, a move following Google's earlier decision and in line with the European Data Act aimed at promoting competition among cloud providers by making it easier for customers to switch services or move data in-house. This change, which applies globally, represents a significant shift for AWS customers, especially larger companies needing to transfer volumes of data exceeding the previously free 100GB per month limit. AWS's announcement, made in response to competitive pressures and regulatory changes, suggests a broader industry trend toward eliminating data egress fees, with Microsoft anticipated to follow suit.

AWS follows Google in announcing unrestricted free data transfers to other cloud providers TechCrunch

The Change Healthcare IT services unit of Optum is grappling with a significant cyberattack, primarily attributed to BlackCat ransomware, that has severely disrupted the U.S. healthcare system. This incident is emerging as one of the most catastrophic cyberattacks the sector has ever faced, posing severe financial strain on a quarter of physician practices and jeopardizing the entire healthcare ecosystem's stability. Change Healthcare, crucial for processing medical claims and functioning as a vital link between physicians and payers, has seen its operations crippled, affecting services ranging from medical billing to clinical information exchange. The attack's fallout is far-reaching, with potential compromises of millions of patients' protected health information and significant financial losses for healthcare providers. The American Hospital Association has highlighted the unprecedented nature of the attack, stressing the dire consequences for patient care and the financial viability of healthcare institutions. As the industry awaits more information on the full extent of the data breach and potential regulatory actions, the need for a robust post-incident analysis to prevent future attacks and improve the sector's preparedness is evident.

The Next Big Bombs to Drop in the Change Healthcare Fiasco BankInfoSecurity

On March 7, Community Health Systems (CHS), based in Franklin, Tennessee, became the inaugural hospital system to form a partnership with and procure medications from Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co., marking a significant step in addressing drug supply challenges and the escalating costs of pharmaceuticals. This collaboration aims to tackle issues such as pharmaceutical waste, drug shortages, and enhancing patient safety and medication error prevention by leveraging flexible drug ordering options, including offering medications in alternative vial sizes to minimize waste and dosage errors. Furthermore, Cost Plus Drugs is set to commence the production of epinephrine and norepinephrine in its new $11 million drug manufacturing facility in Dallas, with plans to extend its manufacturing to injectable drugs in shortage and pediatric oncology solutions. This partnership aligns with Cost Plus Drugs' ongoing efforts to integrate into the health system industry, offering a marketplace for essential medicines to hospitals, ASCs, clinics, and other healthcare facilities.

Mark Cuban's drug company partners with 1st health system Becker's Hospital Review