Change Healthcare (Optum) Outage FAQs
February 28, 2024
latest update: 4/4/2024
Experity partnered with Waystar to host a second, one-hour webinar for SaaS clients on Thursday, April 4 to share information on navigation, rejections, workgroups, resubmissions, and to answer client questions.
Watch now on-demand.
Download Webinar FAQs Get additional Waystar information on the Experity Knowledge Base
3/25/2024
A press release addressing Experity’s Waystar migration went live on March 22. Affected clients should have received an update about the migration via email. You can read the full press release here.
3/21/2024
Experity and Waystar hosted an informational webinar on Thursday, 3/21, for Experity SaaS clients to share Waystar navigation and workflows.
Watch now on-demand.
Download Webinar FAQs Get additional Waystar information on the Experity Knowledge Base
3/19/2024
Over the last few weeks, Experity has taken proactive steps to safeguard client data and ensure service continuity. We’re excited to share a video update from our CEO, Dr. David Stern, discussing our response efforts and the successful client migration to Waystar completed on Thursday, March 14, 2024.
Watch the full video for details on the platform transition, implications, and next steps.
SaaS clients with questions, please contact us at experitywaystar1@experityhealth.com
RCM clients with questions, please contact us at experitywaystar2@experityhealth.com
3/5/24
After reviewing the temporary funding options offered by Optum, we learned that the short-term funding available will not effectively resolve client cash flow issues.
In response to the most recent updates from Change Healthcare (Optum), we are organizing a mass scalable migration to Waystar for all CHC clients. We aim to begin the transition by the end of next week. More information regarding the transition process will be provided in the coming days.
3/4/2024
Since Friday, March 1, 2024, Optum has begun to initiate the deployment of temporary measures in response to recent cyber attack. A solution tailored for Optum partners is currently being developed and updates are expected shortly. We are committed to maintaining ongoing communication with clients and Change Healthcare (Optum) until this matter is resolved.
3/1/2024
Optum has begun to establish temporary alternative funding options. As Optum partners, Experity customers can expect an update on Monday, March 4, 2024, regarding an interim solution. We will provide additional updates at the top of next week as we receive details.
Full updates are available on the Optum website.
There are approximately 800 payers whose claims routing relies on the Change network, rendering them inaccessible through Waystar’s platform. Consequently, clients utilizing Waystar’s services may experience varying degrees of impact.
2/29/2024
This Friday, Optum will unveil instructions for providers to access weekly funding, repayable when operations resume. As it becomes available, we will share more information on Friday, March 1, 2024.
On Wednesday, February 21, 2024, Change Healthcare experienced serious system outages due to a cyberattack. As of February 28, the company reports it is “working on multiple approaches to restore the impacted environment and will not take any shortcuts or take any additional risk as we bring our systems back online.”
Change Healthcare’s parent company, UnitedHealth, reported in a Form 8-K filing that it “identified a suspected nation-state associated, cyber security threat actor had gained access to some of the Change Healthcare information technology systems.” News media are reporting that the Blackcat ransomware group is behind the cybersecurity attack.
Since the occurrence of this attack, our connection to Change Healthcare has been disconnected. No claims have been submitted, no ERAs or denials have been returned, and some A/R functionality has been impacted. For those clients using the Emdeon Lab interface, no lab orders have been sent and no lab results have been returned.
Experity is in ongoing, direct contact with Change Healthcare as this unfolds and our leaders are evaluating alternatives with an emphasis on speed of implementation but have no recommendations at this time. (See information provided by Optum below.)
Our leaders are discussing possible workarounds to help you manage claims until this situation is resolved. We will advise you regarding your options as we determine what will be most effective for managing claims in the event of an extended outage.
Experity remains disconnected from Change Healthcare to ensure the safety of your data and our systems. When reconnection is deemed safe and secure, we will act swiftly to restore our services.
The following information was provided by Change Healthcare to Experity leadership. (See full letter from Change Healthcare to Experity here.)
We have a high-level of confidence that Optum, UnitedHealthcare and UnitedHealth Group systems have not been affected by this issue. We believe all operational systems are safe for continued use.
Our security team is working with leading cyber security firms, including Mandiant, and external resources to investigate the issue while also working to protect our systems. Further, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services are engaged with us on additional scanning of our cloud environment. We will continue to be proactive and aggressive with all our systems and if we suspect any issue with the system, we will immediately take action and disconnect.
As of right now, we see no evidence of lateral movement beyond the Change Healthcare environment. There is no evidence of cross contamination or that this has moved beyond those boundaries.
Key areas of support include pharmacy claims transactions, provider claims processing, patient access and financial clearance, provider payments and authorizations and medical necessity reviews. We have been working with clients, providers and pharmacies to enact manual processes for these activities and will continue to provide updates.
Our privacy office and security information teams are actively engaged and working to understand the impact to members, patients, and customers.
While we are focused on addressing this cyber security issue, we are committed to ensuring our clients and patients have access to the care and solutions they need. We have been working with clients and are evaluating other possible workarounds that could be viable.
A number of Optum, UnitedHealthcare and UnitedHealth Group systems have not been impacted and are safe for continued use. Important key systems and solutions such as InterQual and our Enterprise Imaging services are operational and available to customers and partners.
We are working swiftly to restore systems and services based on the priorities of ensuring people have access to the medications and care they need. We will provide updates as solutions are brought online.
Join over 20,000 healthcare professionals who receive our monthly newsletter.
Join over 20,000 healthcare professionals who receive our monthly newsletter.
