Change HealthCare Cyber Security Issue – Update

Posted on April 24, 2024

The Change Healthcare cyber attack has created hardships for many of our providers and we recognize it will take time for systems to be restored and verified. To help support providers, Health New England has taken the following actions:

• Claims Submissions and payment files: Change Healthcare access restored
  • Effective April 22, 2024:
    • Health New England has restored access to receive 837 claims submission files from Change Healthcare. Providers can submit claims to us through this tool again. We continue to accept claims submission files from other tools noted below.
    • Health New England has restored capability to send Change Healthcare the 835 Electronic Remittance Advice transaction.

• Claims submissions: New connection to Availity
  • Effective April 1, 2024, Health New England will accept 837 Claims Submission files electronically through Availity.
  • Availity has provided a lifeline for health plans, providers, and trading partners who use Change Healthcare to process transactions with their sponsoring health plans. For customers needing emergency assistance, connections to all payers via Availity Essentials will be offered at no cost for the time being. For more information on Availity, visit https://www.availity.com/availity-lifeline-self-serve-resources
  • Health New England can accept claims from many other clearinghouses, and professional claims may be submitted to Health New England using the e-Claims functionality on the Health New England Provider Portal (HNEDirect), if you are registered.
  • To register or login, visit https://www.hnedirect.com/login/index.aspx and follow the instructions. You can also submit paper claims by mailing them to Health New England, One Monarch Place, Suite 1500, Springfield, MA 01144-1500.

*Change Healthcare is offering a Temporary Funding Assistance Program to help providers who have been affected by this crisis. Information on this program can be found here: Temporary Funding Assistance Program for Providers (optum.com)

• • Access for Health New England providers to the InterQual Transparency tool, which allowed providers to look up InterQual criteria on the Provider Portal, has been restored.
  • Medical Necessity Criteria can be provided upon request to providers. We are continuing to receive our electronic delivery of 270/271 (eligibility and benefit information for medical and behavioral health) files from our direct contact, NEHEN. In addition, our 24 hour/7 days a week Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system and our Provider Portal can also assist with eligibility information. To reach the IVR, please call (800) 842-4464, press option 3, option 1, and option 2.

Categories: Provider Newsletter