The American Medical Association and American Hospital Association have sent separate letters to federal officials calling for a lifesaver. Their concern: ongoing fallout from the Feb. 21 hack of Change Healthcare.
“This incident demands a whole of government response.” AHA president and CEO Richard Pollack states in a letter to leaders of both parties in the U.S. House and Senate. “We therefore urge Congress to consider any statutory limitations that may exist for any federal agencies that can assist hospitals at this critical moment. If such limitations exist, the Executive Branch may be unable to provide solutions to ensure our nation’s provider network remains solvent and serves patients.”
Meanwhile, in a letter addressed to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, AMA head James Madara, MD, stresses the financial challenges that small, rural and otherwise under-resourced practices are facing due to the upheaval in the normal revenue cycle as a result of the Change outage.
“We urge HHS to utilize any available emergency funds and authorities to provide critical financial resources to physicians, ensuring they can continue to deliver essential health care services during these challenging times,” Madara writes.
The attack forced Change to pull systems offline and develop workarounds in order for providers on their network to process payments. According to the latest update from the company, an alternate online e-prescribe environment has been created, as well as a temporary funding assistance program administered by Optum Financial Services.
“We understand the urgency of resuming payment operations and continuing the flow of payments through the healthcare ecosystem,” Change’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group, says on a FAQ page for providers. While they continue to stand up their normal payment operations, the funding program will allow short-term cash flow for eligible applicants with “No fees. No interest. No other associated costs,” according to the FAQ. “Once standard payment operations resume, the funds will simply need to be repaid.”
These measures are not enough, according to Madara, who notes the workarounds currently being used are adding extensive administrative burden and substantial costs. As an example, Madara says, some practices are resorting to filing claims on paper even though many insurance companies will no longer accept paper claims.
“Are there flexibilities that HHS can encourage health plans to provide to physician practices on meeting timely claim submission requirements?” Madara asks.
The AHA similarly wants Congress to pressure HHS to issue guidance asking payers to extend claims deadlines and facilitate advance or interim payments. Additionally, AHA says HHS should use all power at its disposal to ensure forthright communication from UnitedHealth Group.
“We must resolve the crisis resulting from the cyberattack on Change Healthcare for the wellbeing of our patients and broader communities,” says AHA’s Pollack.
Evan joined TriMed in 2011, writing primarily for Health Imaging. Prior to diving into medical journalism, Evan worked for the Nine Network of Public Media in St. Louis. He also has worked in public relations and education. Evan studied journalism at the University of Missouri, with an emphasis on broadcast media.