Y2K - Feds Unsure Of Medicare Provider Readiness

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Y2K - Feds Unsure Of Medicare Provider Readiness

http://foxnews.com/health/wires2/0813/h_rt_0813_17.sml 8-14-99

WASHINGTON (Reuters Health) - The federal government is unsure of the Year 2000 computer readiness of more than 1.1 million Medicare healthcare providers, according to a report by the US General Accounting Office.

Despite comprehensive efforts by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) to alert Medicare providers to take prompt action to prepare and test their billing and information systems, provider participation in government outreach efforts has been low.

For example, less than 1% of Medicare providers have called HCFA's toll-free Year 2000 information hotline. Also, of the 12 'Year 2000' conferences held by the agency, an average of 2% of the 10,000 providers invited to each have attended.

Furthermore, testing of providers' ability to submit future dated claims by Medicare claims contractors has been limited, and testing that has occurred revealed problems. One Medicare claims contractor tested 434 providers and found initial problems with 28%. Of the 123 having problems, 9 were considered "critical failures,'' the GAO reported.

The GAO said that none of 11 Y2K surveys conducted by healthcare trade associations of members provided enough information to assess the Year 2000 readiness of providers.

"The response rates for all surveys were low,'' the report said. "In addition, all data were self-reported and, based on our review of the survey instruments, it was unclear on what basis... the self-reported compliance statements were made.''

By 2000, HCFA estimates it will process more than 1 billion claims and pay $288 billion in benefits. Providers are dependent on computer systems that are "susceptible'' to Y2K failures, the report warned. Not only are billing and medical records systems at risk, so too are infrastructure systems and biomedical equipment.

The GAO urged HCFA to publicly release results of contractor and provider testing, solicit more suggestions from trade associations on increasing provider participation, record public service announcements, conduct end-to-end testing with providers, and set goals for contractors working with providers.

The Y2K computer bug is expected to be a problem in some software programs that will misinterpret digits in electronic dates as '99' becomes '00' on January 1, 2000. The problem may lead to computer malfunction and the loss of data.

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), August 14, 1999

Answers

Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net)

Slow down will ya'.

I've been away for a while. But I can see troll activity when it's there. You're depriving many GI's of their oportunity to put in their 2 cents by your multitude of posts.

If you motivations are pure, great, you are still out of line with the number of posts.

-- MidWestMike_ (MidWestMike_@hotmail.com), August 15, 1999.


Ok Mike point taken.

However I'm sick and tired of the BITR pollys. Hewitt, Flint, pro, ddecker etc.

I just posted three or four y2k posts in a row - all current, all bad news, with just over 4 months to go.

facts are facts... y2k is like water going down a plug hole, as the level drops and the water gets nearer to the hole it spins faster and faster... we will get more and more bad news as we get nearer to rollover - get used to it Mike... no more posts tonight :)

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), August 15, 1999.


Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net)

Good deal, take it easy buddy.

-- MidWestMike_ (MidWestMike_@hotmail.com), August 15, 1999.


You can bet your bottom dollar the Federal governments Medicare system will TANK, they are now posturing to lay off the blame on anything or anybody they can!!

National Health System here we come!!

Ray

-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), August 15, 1999.


Andy,

I for one enjoy your posts immensly! I don't know where Mikey gets off telling you to slow down. It sounds like he needs Evelyn Wood.

Please continue to post whenever the mood takes you.

Good job, sir.

Regards,

Will Huett

-- Will Huett (willhuett@usa.net), August 15, 1999.



NO national health system. The current one is about to tank; the above article shows it will at rollover. The infrastructure to support another system does not yet exist, and the old one will not be revived.

-- h (h@h.h), August 15, 1999.

Also see this recent thread:

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=001DLj

"Y2K Status Of Medicaire Providers Unknown"

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), August 15, 1999.


A more optimistic look at health services can be obtained at Boston Globe's Report on the Health Industry

-- Anita (spoonera@msn.com), August 15, 1999.

Also see this GAO report from July 15th:

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/ai99241t.pdf

"Federal Efforts to Ensure Continued Delivery of Key State- Administered Benefits"

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), August 15, 1999.


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