Tech & Innovation in Healthcare

Question: I remember scammers trying to trick patients during the pandemic by claiming to sell test kits, masks, and other medical services that were available free of charge. Have there been reports of scams during the Change Healthcare outage that our patients should be aware of?

Kentucky Subscriber

Answer: Like the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), scammers will take advantage of patients during trying times. Reports have surfaced in the weeks following the Change Healthcare cyberattack and outage of scammers attempting to steal patients’ credit card information.

For example, the Minnesota Hospital Association and Minnesota Attorney General, Keith Ellison, issued a warning to the public on March 8, 2024, of malicious actors posing as pharmacy, clinic, or hospital employees to trick victims into providing their credit card information. The scammers claim they will provide refunds if the victim supplies the card number.

“If you receive a call like this, do not provide any information. Instead, you should hang up, then dial your medical provider yourself to determine whether they actually need your payment information,” Attorney General Ellison said in a press release.