March 7 (Reuters) - UnitedHealth Group ( UNH ) said the

electronic prescribing for its pharmacy services is now fully

functional, with claims submission and payment transmission also

available after cyber attack on its tech unit Change Healthcare

impacted services.

UnitedHealth ( UNH ) said on Thursday that electronic payment

functionality for its payments platform will be available for

connection on March 15, adding that it expects to begin testing

and reestablish connectivity to its medical claims network and

software on March 18.

The cyberattack on Feb. 21 at Change Healthcare was

perpetrated by hackers who identified themselves as the

"Blackcat" ransomware group, having a knock-on effect on players

across the U.S. healthcare system, as disruptions triggered by

the attack have impacted electronic pharmacy refills and

insurance transactions.

Change Healthcare is a vital lynchpin in the complex U.S.

system for making and clearing insurance claims, connecting

providers to not just UnitedHealth ( UNH ) but also to CVS Health's ( CVS )

Aetna, Elevance, Humana, and others.