On February 22, 2024, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (“UHG”) filed a notification with the Securities and Exchange Commission after discovering that one of UHG’s subsidiaries, Change Healthcare, had experienced a cybersecurity incident. In the notice, Change Healthcare explains that the incident is still under investigation. Once the investigation is complete, Change Healthcare must send a data breach notification letter to anyone whose personal information was affected by the incident.
If you receive a data breach notification from Change Healthcare, it is important to understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. A data breach attorney can learn more about how to protect yourself from being a victim of fraud and identity theft, as well as discuss your legal options after a data breach with Change Healthcare. For more information, see our recent article on this topic. here.
Was there a Change Healthcare data breach?
Simply put, it's too early to tell whether there was a Change Healthcare data breach. Change Healthcare's cybersecurity incident was just recently announced, and more information will be released in the near future. However, documents filed by Change Healthcare with the Securities and Exchange Commission provide some important information about how the breach happened. According to this source, on February 21, 2024, Change Healthcare confirmed that an unauthorized party had accessed part of the company's IT network.
In response, Change Healthcare isolated the affected systems and began working with cybersecurity experts to investigate the incident. However, given the recent nature of the Change Healthcare cyberattack, it will likely be some time before the company's investigation is complete. At this time, Change Healthcare's parent company, UnitedHealth Group, says it believes this incident is limited to Change Healthcare's systems and does not affect any other Optum or UnitedHealth Group systems. I'm explaining.
On February 22, 2024, Change Healthcare notified the Security and Exchange Commission as required by federal law. If Change Healthcare's investigation confirms that patient data was compromised as a result of this incident, it will be required to send data breach notifications to patients whose sensitive information was exposed to unauthorized access. These letters should provide victims with a list of what information in their possession was compromised.
More information about Change Healthcare
Change Healthcare is a healthcare technology company based in Nashville, Tennessee. Change Healthcare is a subsidiary of Optum, which is owned by UnitedHealth Group Incorporated. Change Healthcare employs more than 14,000 people and generates annual revenues of approximately $3.5 billion.