OMC associate experiences cybersecurity event, delays for patients

(ABC 6 New) – A third-party health technology firm associated with the Olmsted Medical Center has had a cybersecurity event since Feb. 21, creating delays for patients to receive their prescriptions.

According to Olmsted Medical Center (OMC), Change Healthcare, the Optum firm experiencing the breach, is responsible for processing data for insurance companies, pharmacies and healthcare.

OMC has since taken systems connected to Change Healthcare offline.

OMC stated that their pharmacy division was not directly impacted, however they are “experiencing difficulties” when searching for prescription plan benefit eligibility.

OMC stated that the breach may impact patients based on their coverage and medications. For example, patients insured under Medicare Part B who receive prescriptions for items like glucometer test strips and nebulizer solutions cannot be fully processed at this time.

Additionally, copay cards from pharmaceutical companies cannot be processed as a result of the breach.

Electronic prescriptions sent to the pharmacy which fail after three attempts will bounce back to OMC.

OMC recommends waiting until next week to call the pharmacy if a prescription is not urgent.

If a prescription is urgent, OMC is currently working to provide patients with up to five days of medication, if possible.

An exact timeline for when the delay will end is unclear.