Cyberattack costs hit UnitedHealth in 1Q that still turns out better than expected
UnitedHealth Group trounced first-quarter expectations even as costs from a cyberattack to its Change Healthcare business ate into the company’s performance.
The health care giant also said Tuesday that care patterns in the year’s first quarter met its expectations after soaring medical costs at the end of last year surprised Wall Street.
Company shares jumped in midday trading.
UnitedHealth said earlier this year that a ransomware group had gained access to some of the systems of its Change Healthcare business, which provides technology used to submit and process insurance claims. The attack disrupted payment and claims processing around the country, stressing doctor’s offices and health care systems.
Federal civil rights investigators are looking into whether protected health information was exposed in the attack.
UnitedHealth is still restoring several services from the February attack. It took an $872 million hit from it in the first quarter, but CEO Andrew Witty told analysts on Tuesday that the company expected to bring Change Healthcare back “much stronger than it was before.”