What have we learned from the Change Healthcare cyber-attack?

The cyber-attack on Change Healthcare hit all of us very quickly and exposed some crucial areas that need to be addressed. Many practices were caught off guard and did not know how to respond. I would like to offer some suggestions to work on now and in the future.

When something like this happens, all team members need to understand who is responsible for what tasks and have some flexibility. For every team member, there should be someone with primary responsibility for certain tasks and secondary responsibility for others. That is the best way to cross-train in your office. That way tasks always get done and the team knows who is responsible at all times. You can see how this will be beneficial now and, in the future, as you file your claims and follow up on payment. As claims start to get paid again, you may need your secondary person to help with this as well as claims follow-up since your cash flow will be negatively affected by this cyber-attack. Since most practices wait to send a statement to their patients after insurance has been paid, you can see how this process is now going to take much longer than before. To make sure you mitigate this effect on your cash flow, team members may need to be flexible with their responsibilities for a while.

From this cyber-attack, we have also learned that things can change in an instant and we need to adjust accordingly. This is a great time to discuss your practice game plan and break that down into what needs to be done immediately, in 30 days, 60 days, and beyond. Planning is crucial to keep your team on the same page and informed on what is happening and how the team may need to pivot for a while. From a financial standpoint, budgets may be tight and now would be a great time to discuss what needs to be ordered and what can wait until sometime in the future.

Confusion will lead to undesirable stress so please have open conversations with your team. This will keep everyone focused and on the same page as you navigate this period.

If you or your team needs any additional assistance, please contact me at lynne@victorydentalmanagement.com

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