Question: My husband couldn’t get his RSV vaccine and the pharmacist said it was due to a data hack. Is this because of the HMSA/Navvis hack? We have HMSA.
Answer: No. A cyberattack has disrupted prescription processing at thousands of pharmacies nationwide, but it’s not the hack of HMSA patient data held by vendor Navvis Inc., which occurred in July. The current disruption affects far more than HMSA members and the impact has been variable around the country, depending on how reliant the pharmacy or other health care facility is on systems run by Change Healthcare, the entity that was hacked by ransomware criminals. The Hawaii Medical Service Association is monitoring the situation, aware that service for some members has been affected. Although the first retail pharmacy your husband visited could not process his insurance to give him the shot, a different retail chain could and he got his RSV vaccine there, you confirmed in a follow-up email. Here’s a response from Sudhakar Gummadi, HMSA’s chief information security officer:
“We are aware that a cybersecurity incident impacting Change Healthcare may be affecting access to some health care services for HMSA members. Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, is one of the largest payment networks in the industry, electronically connecting doctors’ offices, pharmacies and hospitals with health insurers. We understand the impact from this incident is affecting people nationwide.
“HMSA is monitoring the situation and remains committed to helping our members get access to the care they need while protecting their personal data. We are gathering more information and continue to take precautions to protect our systems and our members.”
UnitedHealth Group posts updates about the situation on its website, unitedhealth group.com. As of deadline Friday, Change Healthcare’s Clinical Exchange ePrescribing providers’ tools were not operational, it said.
Change Healthcare processes about 15 billion transactions a year, or one in three U.S. patient records, including not only prescriptions, but also dental, clinical and other medical processing, the New York Times reported.
Q: I know that the IRS prefers we file electronically, but I never do. Will it take as long for them to process mailed hard copies as it did during the pandemic?
A: No, it does take longer to process income tax returns that are mailed to the IRS rather than filed electronically, but the lag time for mailed returns is not nearly as bad as it was during the pandemic, according to the Internal Revenue Service. Information on the IRS website indicates that the agency is now taking about four to six weeks to process paper returns, compared to 20 weeks or more during the height of the pandemic. By contrast, e-filed returns are generally processed in 21 days or less, and e-filers due a refund can get their money even quicker if they accept the refund by direct deposit, the IRS says.
Ala Moana Bridge
A state Department of Transportation spokesperson responded Thursday night to questions about why it’s taking so long to build an elevated walkway over Ala Moana Boulevard. Spokesperson Shelly Kunishige said unexpected conflicts with underground utilities found during construction, supply chain issues affecting the availability of cement and the need to repair the center pier that will support the walkway all contributed to construction delays. “Repairs to the central pier and the abutments involve repouring to meet the specified elevation in the design,” she said in an email. When construction began in May 2022, the DOT estimated the pedestrian bridge would be finished by October 2023, but that date has been pushed back to August 2024.
Overnight lane closures will start Wednesday on Ala Moana Boulevard between Ward Avenue and Kamakee Street as workers pour concrete to repair the center pier and abutments. For details, see 808ne.ws/4c12rMa. When it’s finished, the bridge will link to pathways on either side of Ala Moana Boulevard, elevating pedestrian and bicycle traffic above motor vehicles on the busy street below.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
