The future’s so bright at the end of the millennium
The future’s so bright at the end of the millennium
Hospitals optimistic about Y2K readiness
Most hospitals are not too worried about the approaching millennium. Either, they expect to be year 2000 (Y2K) compliant or don’t expect their noncompliance to adversely affect critical operations, according to a survey conducted by the American Hospital Association (AHA) in Chicago.
"The survey results reinforce the message that we’ve been hearing from our members — that they are working aggressively to prepare Y2K and that their primary focus is to reassure patients that the systems critical to patient care will run smoothly," says Fred Brown, AHA chairman.
The AHA surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,000 members in February on their Y2K readiness by the end of the year in three areas: information systems, medical devices, and infrastructure/physical plant. The responses from 583 members indicate that almost all of the nation’s hospitals expect to meet the Y2K challenge. (The survey defines Y2K compliance as an institution’s performance and/or functionality not being affected by dates prior to, during, and after the year 2000.)
Here are some of the survey’s findings:
Information system readiness
65.7% of surveyed hospitals’ information systems are expected to be Y2K compliant by year end. 31.9% are not expecting to be fully compliant by year end, but do not anticipate any adverse effect on critical operations. 0.5% of surveyed hospitals expect information systems to be Y2K noncompliant at year end with possible adverse effects on critical operations. Rural hospitals are slightly more likely to achieve Y2K compliance by year end than urban hospitals (66.3% vs. 64.5%, respectively).Medical device readiness
57.9% of surveyed hospitals’ medical devices are expected to be Y2K compliant by year end. 38.2% are projecting to not be totally compliant, but are expecting no adverse effect on critical operations. 0.5% of hospitals surveyed expect medical devices to be noncompliant, with possible adverse effects on critical operations.Physical plant/infrastructure readiness
66.7% of surveyed hospitals’ physical plant and infrastructure are expected to be Y2K compliant by year end. 28.8% are not expecting full compliance but are also not foreseeing any adverse effect on critical operations. 0.4% of surveyed hospitals expect their physical plant/infrastructure to be noncompliant, with possible adverse effects on critical operations.Barriers to readiness
Survey respondents say that lack of information from suppliers is the No. 1 barrier to total Y2K readiness. Only 14.2% of urban hospitals surveyed reported a lack of funding as a barrier to Y2K compliance, compared with 26.9% of rural respondents.Community planning
Hospitals are working with their community partners to assist in planning for potential Y2K compliance disruptions. 66% of hospitals have initiated contact with utilities, followed by other hospitals (43.6%) and fire/police (37.9%), ambulance services (35.8%), and city governments (34.8%).Medicare claims readiness
74.8% of hospitals are already submitting their Medicare claims in Y2K-compliant format. Those not currently using a compliant format anticipate that their claims will be compliant within an average of three months. (Hospitals were required to submit Y2K-compliant Medicare claims as of April 5, 1999.)Of the hospitals that responded to the survey, 46.2% were under 100 beds, 40.1% represented hospitals in the 100 to 399 bed range, and 13.7% were in the 400-plus bed range. About 53.8% of the respondents were rural.
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