Examining impact of federal relief program after major healthcare cyberattack — Research Brief

A University of Minnesota study examined the federal Change Healthcare/Optum Payment Disruption relief program following the 2024 Change Healthcare ransomware attack that exposed PHI of 190M+ people and crippled claims processing. Analyzing ~4,400 hospital applications, researchers found only 11% received funds, rural and unaffiliated hospitals were disproportionately excluded, funded hospitals saw a 66% drop in Medicare revenue during the first six weeks, and relief often exceeded actual losses; they recommend using real-time data, aligning payments with true losses, and proactive outreach, while noting the study did not cover independent non-physician practitioners.