{"id":12094,"date":"2024-06-19T06:08:41","date_gmt":"2024-06-19T06:08:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/distilinfo.com\/healthplan\/?p=12094"},"modified":"2024-06-19T06:08:44","modified_gmt":"2024-06-19T06:08:44","slug":"change-healthcare-cms-payment-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/distilinfo.com\/healthplan\/change-healthcare-cms-payment-program\/","title":{"rendered":"CMS Payment Program To Shutdown Following Change Hack"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background has-background\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#key-highlights-of-cms-payment-program-termination-post-change-hack\">Key Highlights of CMS Payment Program Termination Post Change Hack<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#deep-insights-on-cms-payment-program-termination\">Deep Insights On CMS Payment Program Termination<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#statement-from-united-health-ceo\">Statement from UnitedHealth CEO<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#fa-qs\">FAQs<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"key-highlights-of-cms-payment-program-termination-post-change-hack\"><b>Key Highlights of CMS Payment Program Termination Post Change Hack<\/b><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CMS will close the advance payments program on July 12.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The program launched in March after a February 21 hack by ALPHV\/BlackCat.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$2.55 billion issued to 4,200 providers.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$717.18 million issued to 4,722 suppliers.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over 96% of payments recovered.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Providers with issues should contact Change Healthcare.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Change Healthcare processes 50% of U.S. medical claims.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data for a third of Americans might have been stolen.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UnitedHealth has issued $6.5 billion since the hack.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"deep-insights-on-cms-payment-program-termination\"><b>Deep Insights On CMS Payment Program Termination<\/b><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on 17th June, Monday stated that the organization is planning the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cms.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/cms-preparing-close-program-addressed-medicare-funding-issues-resulting-change-healthcare-cyber#:~:text=Today%2C%20the%20Centers%20for%20Medicare,conclude%20on%20July%2012%2C%202024.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">closure of the <\/span><b>CMS<\/b> <b>payment program<\/b><\/a><b>. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This program was primarily launched on 21st February, 2024 to as a <\/span><b>healthcare cybersecurity<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for reducing the <\/span><b>Change Healthcare hack impact.&nbsp;<\/b><b><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h2><b>Impact of ALPHV\/BlackCat Cyberattack<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Earlier<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">during the year, the entire Medicare providers and suppliers were affected by disruptions caused by a group called ALPHV, also known as &#8220;BlackCat&#8221;. Hence, to help some Medicare providers and suppliers affected by disruptions at Change Healthcare,<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the <\/span><b>CMS Payment Program <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was launched.&nbsp;<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h2><b>Program Termination Date<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, CMS plans for <\/span><b>Payment Program termination<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on 12th July, 24. As quoted by the CMS, it will not accept new applications for Change Healthcare\/Optum Payment Disruption accelerated or advance payments after that date.&nbsp;<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h2><b>CMS Payment Program Details<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CMS further disclosed the following details relating to the current <\/span><b>CMS payment program<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> closure:&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><b>Details<\/b><\/td><td><b>Amount<\/b><\/td><td><b>Recipients<\/b><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Accelerated payments<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$2.55 billion<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4,200 providers, including hospitals<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Advance payments<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$717.18 million<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4,722 suppliers (doctors, non-physician practitioners, durable medical equipment suppliers)<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Payments recovered<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over 96%<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211;<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Current billing status<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Successfully billing Medicare<\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211;<\/span><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h2><b>Instructions for Providers and Suppliers<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The statement also quoted that any Medicare providers or suppliers experiencing billing or payment difficulties must contact Change Healthcare. However, it also stated that this will bring <\/span><b>CMS policy changes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> but it will continue to monitor the fallout of the recent cyberattack deeply.&nbsp;<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h2><b>Ongoing Healthcare Reimbursement Process<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, the <\/span><b>CMS healthcare reimbursement<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> process is ongoing and about 50% of medical claims in the U.S. for around 900,000 physicians, 33,000 pharmacies, 5,500 hospitals, and 600 laboratories are being sorted.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"statement-from-united-health-ceo\"><b>Statement from UnitedHealth CEO<\/b><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contrary to the recent <\/span><b>CMS payment system<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> closure, UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty said the hackers potentially stole data belonging to a third of Americans. A total of $6.5 billion in accelerated payments and loans to providers including hospitals has been worked as a <\/span><b>CMS healthcare reimbursement<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> since the February attack. Further news awaits.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Looking for a reliable platform that can provide <\/span><b>medical updates <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in the <\/span><b>healthcare sector<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">? Discover the latest <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/distilinfo.com\/healthplan\/\"><b>payers&#8217; news updates<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with a single click. Follow DistilINFO HealthPlan and stay ahead with the timely payer&#8217;s news updates. Join our community today!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"fa-qs\"><b>FAQs<\/b><b><\/b><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><b>1. Why is the CMS payment program closing?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>Ans.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The CMS payment program is closing due to the cybersecurity breach at Change Healthcare, perpetrated by ALPHV\/BlackCat. This decision aims to mitigate the impact of the hack on healthcare providers and suppliers.<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>2. What is the impact of the CMS payment system closure on healthcare reimbursement?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>Ans.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The closure affects providers and suppliers who received accelerated and advance payments totaling $3.27 billion. Despite the closure, CMS continues its healthcare reimbursement processes for Medicare billing.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b><\/b><b>3. How can Medicare providers and suppliers affected by the CMS payment system closure seek assistance?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>Ans.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Providers and suppliers experiencing billing or payment issues should contact Change Healthcare for support. CMS advises them to monitor policy updates while addressing fallout from the cyberattack.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Highlights of CMS Payment Program Termination Post Change Hack Deep Insights On CMS Payment Program Termination The Centers for&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/distilinfo.com\/healthplan\/change-healthcare-cms-payment-program\/\" style=\"white-space: nowrap;\">Continue Reading <i class=\"fas fa-long-arrow-alt-right\" style=\"vertical-align: middle;\"><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12095,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[381],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/distilinfo.com\/healthplan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12094"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/distilinfo.com\/healthplan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/distilinfo.com\/healthplan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/distilinfo.com\/healthplan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/distilinfo.com\/healthplan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12094"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/distilinfo.com\/healthplan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12094\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12109,"href":"https:\/\/distilinfo.com\/healthplan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12094\/revisions\/12109"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/distilinfo.com\/healthplan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/distilinfo.com\/healthplan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/distilinfo.com\/healthplan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/distilinfo.com\/healthplan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}