The recent cyberattack on Change Healthcare is described as the most significant and consequential incident of its kind against the U.S. healthcare system. Rick Pollack, President and CEO of the American Hospital Association (AHA), underscores its severity. The attack, which occurred in February, disrupted the largest U.S. billing and payment system, affecting millions of patients’ prescriptions and services and delaying access to medications and care. Even two months post-attack, an AHA survey revealed that many medical practices faced potential closure due to lost revenue from unpaid claims, threatening patient access to medical services.

This incident highlights the increasing threat of cyberattacks on healthcare systems. Such attacks not only delay care delivery but also jeopardize patient safety. For instance, the 2017 WannaCry ransomware attack disrupted more than a third of NHS England’s hospital trusts, leading to the cancellation of nearly 7,000 appointments and severely affecting medical care delivery. Similarly, a 2021 ransomware attack on Ireland’s Department of Health and Health Service Executive (HSE) impacted over 80% of its IT infrastructure, cancelled thousands of services, and compromised the personal data of nearly 100,000 people.

The financial repercussions of these attacks are substantial. The Change Healthcare breach is projected to cost up to $1.6 billion. This incident is part of a growing trend, with the European Repository of Cyber Incidents reporting a global increase in healthcare-targeted cyberattacks from 32 events in 2022 to 121 in 2023.

Overall, these cyberattacks pose significant risks to healthcare systems, affecting the delivery of care, compromising patient data, and incurring extensive financial losses.1

Read the full editorial here.

References

  1. Editorial. (2024). Cyberattacks on health care—a growing threat. The Lancet, 403, 2263. https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2824%2901074-2

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