Change Healthcare Cyberattack

On Feb. 21, 2024, Cougar Health Services was made aware of a cyberattack on Change Healthcare, which provides key health care technology services to health providers around the country, including CHS. 

There is no current indication that CHS data or CHS patient data has been compromised. 

This attack affects the software that communicates between our pharmacy and insurance companies. Change Healthcare has disconnected its systems to prevent further impact, which means that pharmacies are no longer able to check if medications are covered by insurance.

What this means for you

You can still get your prescriptions filled at the CHS Pharmacy. But because of the disruption, we are currently unable to process insurance claims, which means we may not be able to tell you exactly how much your prescriptions will cost. 

Certain medications are inexpensive if you pay cash; for those, you can opt to forego using your insurance and pay cash.

For more expensive medications we think your insurance will cover, you can ask CHS to place the charge on your WSU student account. Once the issue with Change Healthcare is resolved, CHS Pharmacy will run your medication through the insurance process to determine your actual cost. The drawback to this approach is that your insurance might not cover the cost, leaving you to pay the total cost.

Students who need prescriptions should contact CHS Pharmacy staff about their specific needs and circumstances. We will do our best to assist you during this time.

Timeline

At this time, we are not sure when Change Healthcare will reconnect its systems and this situation will be resolved. CHS is monitoring the Change Healthcare website, and we will update this page as new information becomes available. When the issue is resolved, WSU IT will do a security check before CHS reconnects to Change Healthcare as an additional step to protect your data.