Healthcare providers are struggling after a cyberattack knocked out billions in medical payments

Slow healing process… UnitedHealth said it’s making progress on restoring systems that were knocked out by a massive cyberattack last month on Change Healthcare. The UnitedHealth-owned tech co offers software that lets medical providers like pharmacies and hospitals process insurance claims and payments. Since the cyberattack disrupted Change’s systems, billions in payments have been stuck in backlogs and patients have struggled to fill their prescriptions.

• Body scan: Change Healthcare says it processes 15B transactions a year for a total of $1.5T in health claims. The American Hospital Association called the hack “the most significant and consequential incident of its kind against the US health care system in history.”

• Prognosis: It’s not clear when all systems will return to normal, and some providers are struggling to keep their doors open the longer they go without getting paid.

Cybercrime’s infection is spreading… Change Healthcare said a group called Alphv (aka Blackcat) is behind the attack. That’s the same group that perpetrated a ransomware attack last year against MGM Resorts that cost the hotel chain $100M. The FBI reported nearly 250 cybercrime incidents last year in the healthcare industry, which has been criticized for having notoriously weak cybersecurity. Overall, victims sent a record $1B in ransomware payments to cybercriminals last year.

• Pay up: While UnitedHealth hasn’t said whether or not it paid Alphv/Blackcat to end the damage, a crypto wallet said to be controlled by the group reportedly received $22M in bitcoin this month.