On May 1, UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty testified before Congress, expressing that he is "deeply, deeply sorry" about the effect the late February cyberattack on Change Healthcare had on patients, physicians and health systems.
Mr. Witty testified for more than two hours in front of a Senate committee about both his and the company's hand in what some are calling the biggest cybersecurity disruption to healthcare in American history.
Following the hearings, the American Gastroenterological Association released a statement commending Congress for placing a high level of scrutiny on the hack, calling UnitedHealth "one of the largest, most profitable and least transparent health insurers in the world."
"UHC's slow and inadequate response to the Change Healthcare cyberattack left many practices high and dry, which threatens their ability to serve their communities," the AGA wrote in the May 1 statement. "UHC's efforts to rectify this colossal breach are far from commensurate with the damage done."
The AGA also expressed frustration with UnitedHealth over prior authorization requirements and barriers to gastrointestinal care.
"UHC forewarned the gastroenterology community and its patients of this prior authorization program nearly a year ago," the statement said. "Yet, physicians have been left in the dark with mounting concerns as they know all too well prior authorization often leads to unnecessary delays and denials for care. This is particularly worrisome as applied to colonoscopies and endoscopies when colorectal cancer is the nation's #2 cancer killer and is on the rise among Americans under 50."