Change Healthcare Cyber-Attack Update
We previously posted about the Accelerated and Advance Payment Program, which was created by CMS in early March to address cash flow issues due to the Cyber-Attack on Change Healthcare. This article will discuss the upcoming changes to this program, recently announced by CMS.
What You Need to Know
Change Healthcare is a large clearinghouse for medical claims, and the cyber-attack that took place on February 21, 2024 affected healthcare providers across the country. Facilities using the Change Healthcare platform to submit claims and receive Medicare payments were susceptible to significant cash flow problems after the attack. Although the DME MACs provided alternative solutions for submitting claims and worked with Optum, the parent company for Change Healthcare, to transition providers to a different clearinghouse, CMS recognized the need for a more immediate solution.
On March 9, 2024, CMS created an Accelerated and Advance Payment Program specifically for Change Healthcare/Optum Payment Disruption (CHOPD). This program provides accelerated payments to Part A providers and advance payments to Part B suppliers experiencing claim disruptions as a result of the incident. The money is then recouped automatically from Medicare claims over the next 90 days and any remaining balance is due on day 91. As of June 17, 2024, CMS has issued over $717.18 million in CHOPD advance payments to 4,722 Part B suppliers and has already recouped over 96% of the payments. CMS recognized that providers are successfully billing Medicare claims once again, so they recently announced that the AAP Program for CHOPD will end on July 12, 2024.
What this Means for You
If you are continuing to experience claim disruptions related to the Change Healthcare cyber-attack and you have not received advance payments from CMS, you are still able to apply for the AAP program. To determine whether you are eligible and for more information on how to apply, review our March 13 post. After July 12, 2024, CMS will no longer accept new applications for CHOPD accelerated or advance payments, and any providers that are still having issues should contact Change Healthcare and/or their DME MAC.
To see the complete announcement from CMS, click here.