In one of the largest healthcare cyber incidents to date, Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, was hit by a ransomware attack that disrupted claims processing, pharmacy transactions, and electronic payments nationwide. The breach exposed vast amounts of protected health information (PHI), disrupted hospital operations, and caused major financial fallout across the industry.
If a company with billions in infrastructure and resources can be compromised, what does that mean for smaller healthcare providers?
What Actually Happened
In February 2024, a ransomware group known as BlackCat (ALPHV) launched a targeted attack against Change Healthcare’s systems. The group gained unauthorized access, encrypted critical infrastructure, and stole sensitive data—leading to weeks of outages across pharmacies, hospitals, and practices.
The breach affected payment systems, claim submissions, and pharmacy benefit transactions. Providers were left unable to fill prescriptions, verify insurance, or get paid—all while sensitive patient data was reportedly exfiltrated.
Why This Breach Should Worry Every Healthcare Provider
- Third-party dependency is a massive risk. You may not use Change Healthcare directly, but many clearinghouses, billing systems, and EHR vendors do. If one of your vendors goes down, so do you.
- Supply chain attacks are growing fast. Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting healthcare service vendors instead of the providers themselves—because it lets them disrupt thousands of organizations at once.
- The fallout goes beyond money. Beyond delayed payments and lost revenue, practices also face reputational damage, patient frustration, and exposure to HIPAA penalties if PHI is compromised through a third-party partner.
What Data Was Exposed?
UnitedHealth has confirmed that the breach involved massive volumes of PHI, including patient names, insurance IDs, medical histories, and potentially financial account details.
Some stolen data has reportedly been leaked on the dark web. And since Change Healthcare serves pharmacies, hospitals, and payers nationwide, the full scope of exposure may not be known for months.
Lessons for Smaller Practices and Healthcare Organizations
This wasn’t an isolated incident. It was a reminder that:
- You are responsible for the security of your vendors and their tools. HIPAA requires Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) and documented risk assessments—not just trust.
- Backups and contingency plans aren’t optional. Providers using Change Healthcare were locked out of core systems for weeks. Many didn’t have a fallback.
- Vendor due diligence is essential. When was the last time you audited your EHR, billing software, or intake tools for security standards?
How Techsploit Helps
At Techsploit, we help healthcare providers secure not just their websites and systems—but their entire digital stack, including vendors.
- Vendor risk assessments
- HIPAA-focused audits and documentation
- Business Associate Agreement tracking
- Ongoing threat monitoring
- Website hardening and exposure reduction
You don’t need to understand every security standard. That’s our job. We make sure your practice is protected, even when your vendors aren’t.
Final Thoughts
If UnitedHealth can be breached, any practice can. This attack wasn’t about a missed firewall—it was about widespread reliance on third-party tools and the lack of visibility and accountability that comes with it.
Talk to Techsploit about securing your vendors, data, and digital infrastructure—before your practice becomes a casualty of someone else’s breach.