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Medicare announced on Saturday that it will make advance payments available to physician groups, hospitals, and other health care facilities as part of its response to the February 21 Change Healthcare cyberattack. (Trang, 3/10)

Officials from the U.S. government asked UnitedHealth Group to expedite payments to healthcare providers in an open letter on Sunday, after a hack of the insurer's Change Healthcare tech unit crippled medical claims and payments. Officials from the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services urged UnitedHealth (UHG) to take "responsibility to ensure no provider is compromised by their cash flow challenges stemming from this cyberattack on Change Healthcare." (3/10)

More than two weeks after a cyberattack, financially strapped doctors, hospitals and medical providers on Friday sharply criticized UnitedHealth Group’s latest estimate that it would take weeks longer to fully restore a digital network that funnels hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance payments every day. UnitedHealth said that it would be at least two weeks more to test and establish a steady flow of payments for bills that have mounted since hackers effectively shut down Change Healthcare. (Abelson and Creswell, 3/8)

Disruptions from the Change Healthcare cyberattack are costing health providers as much as $1 billion a day and creating enough of a drag to depress first-quarter earnings, analysts and industry officials say. (Reed, 3/11)

HHS told health care leaders Sunday that the agency is urging UnitedHealth Group to take responsibility for the impact of a massive cyberattack that has delayed provider payments. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra wrote to the health care industry Sunday after lawmakers called on federal officials to do more to quickly get payments to impacted providers. In his response, Becerra defended HHS’ actions following the attack and said officials are now “asking private sector leaders across the health care industry — especially other payers — to meet the moment.” (Cirruzzo, 3/10)