Cyberattack on Healthcare Tech Giant Sparks Nationwide Pharmacy Delays

A cyberattack targeting the prominent healthcare tech giant Change Healthcare has triggered widespread disruptions in pharmacies across the United States. The leading prescription processor announced that it was “experiencing a network interruption related to a cyber security issue,” prompting immediate action to safeguard partners and patients by disconnecting its systems.

The extent and specific nature of the cyberattack have not been disclosed by Change Healthcare, leaving pharmacies grappling with outages and delays. According to reports from the Huron Daily Tribune, healthcare provider Scheurer Health in Michigan faced prescription processing challenges at all its family pharmacy locations.

The impact extended to McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas, where the 22nd Medical Group reported a temporary pharmacy outage. Despite acknowledging the inconvenience caused, the medical group assured patients that its team was diligently working to resolve the issue, with an estimated resolution by the following day or later. While the pharmacy remained open, new prescriptions could not be processed due to an “unexpected enterprise-wide MHS GENESIS downtime.”

Canadian Lakes Pharmacy in Michigan also fell victim to the nationwide outage caused by the cyberattack on major prescription processors in North America. The pharmacy acknowledged the ongoing issue, affecting numerous pharmacies since the previous day.

Change Healthcare, being one of the largest healthcare technology companies in the United States, handles orders and patient payments nationwide. The company’s proactive measures, disconnecting its systems to prevent further impact, indicate the severity of the cyber threat.

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