Fortune: America’s health system is still in crisis after its biggest cyberattack ever—but the ‘catastrophe’ is just a blip for the giant company that got hacked
Seventy-four percent of hospitals reported in March direct impacts to patient care as a result of the cyberattack, and 94% said they felt financial impacts. And the hack is still snarling the health care system: As of April 3, 36% of physician practices reported a suspension in claims payments, while 32% said they were unable to submit claims for payment, a survey by the American Medical Association found. “For most physicians, functionalities dependent upon Change Healthcare systems are still not up and running, at least not completely,” the AMA told Congress last week.
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To Benjamin Jolley, a pharmacist who works with the American Economic Liberties Project, a nonprofit focused on antitrust advocacy, the hack is the predictable result of consolidation run amok and proof that after years of wide-ranging M&A, UnitedHealth Group has gotten too big. “All roads lead to United,” he says, “and that to me feels like a very large systemic risk.”
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