The American Dental Association shared recommendations for supporting dental practices after the Feb. 21 cyberattack on Change Healthcare.
Change Healthcare, a revenue cycle management subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group's Optum, was hit with a cyberattack Feb. 21 that affected dental, medical and pharmaceutical companies' abilities to process claims.
The ADA said April 16 that dental services have yet to be fully restored since the cyberattack began, adding that dentists have reported delayed claims, increased expenses and increased office staff time as a result of issues caused by the cyberattack.
The federal government also launched an investigation into UnitedHealth Group after the cyberattack, which the American Hospital Association called "most significant cyberattack" on healthcare in U.S. history.
In an April 15 letter to the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee, the ADA called the lack of transparency around the financial impact of the cyberattack "concerning." It also gave several recommendations to strengthen the healthcare industry against cyber threats, including new legislation, new standards for electronic prescriptions, cybersecurity support for dental offices and action against price gouging.