Pharmacies all over the country are experiencing delays in prescription orders due to a cyberattack on one of the biggest healthcare technology companies in the nation, Change Healthcare.

Change Healthcare first noticed the “cyber security issue” affecting its networks on Wednesday morning on the East Coast.

It comes amid a major cell outage which has affected millions of customers across the country, crippling 911 services and leaving customers without reception on the biggest networks. That outage may have been caused by “human error“, according to one expert, but a “solar flare” has also been cited as a possible explanation for the cell problems.

But Change Healthcare are in no doubt the problems facing their systems have been caused by a cyber attack. In a statement, Change Healthcare said: “Change Healthcare is experiencing a network interruption related to a cyber security issue and our experts are working to address the matter. Once we became aware of the outside threat, in the interest of protecting our partners and patients, we took immediate action to disconnect our systems to prevent further impact,”

The company added: “We will provide updates as more information becomes available.” Across the country, pharmacies have issued notices that the attack on Change Healthcare is disrupting their ability to process patients’ orders.

A post from 22nd Medical Group, a medical centre based around McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas, reads: “We are experiencing a temporary pharmacy outage at the 22d Medical Group.

We understand the inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience as we work diligently to resolve the issue. Our team is working to restore complete pharmacy services as soon as possible,”

“The estimated date for resolving this issue will be tomorrow or later. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates on our progress.”

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