Modern Health Care Magazine (1999) performed a survey the last quarter of 1998 to assess the readiness of medical facilities for Year 2000. At that time only 19% of the respondents were at the testing stage, just 4% of facilities as a whole had completed the testing and very few facilities were in the verification stage. Based on this information they concluded that two-thirds of respondents were still in preliminary stages of Y2K readiness. A few months later in March, 1999, the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management released survey results (1999) which affirmed that the majority of the hospitals within the US say they will be Y2K compliant by January 1, 2000. One-third stated that they will not be completely compliant but all of the systems that are concerned with patient care will be. They do not expect operational problems to occur in relation to Y2K. Actually, less than 1% of hospitals indicated any concerns about not being completely prepared by year-end.
The American Hospital Association Y2K Readiness Report (1999) reaffirms the commitment of association hospitals to be Y2K compliant by January 1, 2000. .
Y2K is a critical issue, which they are actively working to address because patient safety is a top priority. The fact that hospitals had the highest survey responses rate shows their willingness to be forthcoming about the work that is still needed to be completely Y2K ready. To reach their goals, hospitals continue to work around the clock and are constantly reviewing the latest guidance from the federal government (p. 1).
Contingency plans of medical facilities. "Although year 2000 projects differ from company to company, there are many aspects of every Y2K fix that remain the same, whether you do the work yourself or hire an outside consultant- (p. 74) states Minda Zetlin (1998) author of The Computer Time Bomb. All companies should develop a contingency plan to fit their individual company.