FP Report -- November 1999
You haven't even started on Y2K?
If you haven't even started with Y2K preparation, better develop a patient care "contingency plan" that isn't dependent on anything using embedded computer chips -- which could fail in a big way when 1999 becomes 2000.
Such a contingency plan is the "absolute minimum" that should be done if you can't fully correct Y2K problems in your facility or practice, according to the Health Care Financing Administration.
For HCFA's step-by-step guide to Y2K preparedness, go to www.hcfa.gov/y2k/y2kpreps.htm; you also can call HCFA at (800) 958-4232. Or visit the AAFP Web site at www.aafp.org/fpnet/y2k.
Robert Berenson, M.D., director of HCFA's Center for Health Plans and Providers, says that those who submit Y2K- compliant electronic bills will get paid in a timely manner because Medicare is required by law to do so. But for those who encounter Y2K computer problems and are forced to submit old-fashioned paper claims, it likely will be a different story.
FP Report is published by the AAFP News Department. Copyright © 1999 by American Academy of Family Physicians.
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