Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announces investigation of Change Healthcare, Inc. after cyberattack

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Attorney General Tim Griffin has announced Thursday that his office is initiating an investigation of Change Healthcare, Inc., a unit of UnitedHealth Group after a cyberattack of “unprecedented magnitude.”

Griffin said that the attack violates the Arkansas Personal Information Protection Act and the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and his office is investigating to determine whether the confidential medical information of Arkansans was compromised.

“Additionally, my office will look into whether Change Healthcare used reasonable security procedures and practices to protect this information as required by Arkansas law,” Griffin said.

UnitedHealth says it has made progress on recovering from a massive cyberattack

Change Healthcare provides technology used to submit and process insurance claims. It handles about 14 billion transactions a year and works with claims from several insurers.

The company said last month that the ransomware group ALPHV, or Blackcat, gained access to some of its information technology systems.

The massive health care hack is now being investigated by the federal Office of Civil Rights

Griffin said that the ransomware attack has disrupted billing and healthcare information systems across the country and has threatened hospitals’ ability to care for patients and pay physicians.

“Protecting Arkansans’ personal information and holding organizations accountable for data breaches are two of my responsibilities under Arkansas law,” Griffin said.

UnitedHealth said Monday that it is expanding temporary funding to support doctors and other care providers affected by the attack.

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