'there is absolutely no way they could complete all hospitals before the year 2000'
'...incredibly stupid decisions regarding information technology. Six years ago, they decided to outsource all of IT.'
'What this means is that roughly 50% of their hospitals are still on their incredibly patched, grossly outdated legacy systems. None of that software is Y2K compliant'
'And I am talking here only about their legacy sytem. Their use of expensive, computer-controlled medical equipment has climbed over the last few years. What are the odds that they get that stuff analyzed and corrected in time?'
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'Jeffrey Schwartz <schwartz@bitstorm.net> wrote in article
<34EE2442.5ACF@bitstorm.net>...
> Gregory Lawrence wrote:
> >
> > I was discussing computers with my physician and I mentioned Y2K. He'd never heard of it. What will be the possible effects on Healthcare personnel? His office is computerized and full of all sorts of gadgets that (presumably) have chips in them. He is linked via modem with a bookkeeping firm.
What about hospitals?
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Newsgroups: comp.software.year-2000
Subject: Re: Y2K and M.D.'s
Hospitals are in the "medium OK" scene, as far as I know. I used to work for HBO&Co, and rule was anthing that went out the door after 1996 was Y2k, and clients were being forced to upgrade to that release or above.
>>
I couldn't disagree more. I used to work in the MIS Dept. of a large
for-profit hospital chain. Although top management was rather competent from a purely business viewpoint, they had a history of making what were, in my opinion, incredibly stupid decisions regarding information technology. Six years ago, they decided to outsource all of IT. While this decision led to my leaving the firm, had they pursued it with single-minded vigor to completion, I would have applauded them for being in the enviable position of having to rely only on their well-know service bureau to achieve 100% Y2K compliance.
Instead, they converted roughly half of their hospitals to the service
bureau, and then a group of hospitals with a lot of political pull within
the corporation rebelled at converting their systems to those of the
oursourcer. What this means is that roughly 50% of their hospitals are still on their incredibly patched, grossly outdated legacy systems. None of that software is Y2K compliant. And what is worse, they have lost perhaps 90% of their original programming staff over the last five years because all of the programming talent thought that they were going to be outsourced out of a job.
I heard it through the grapevine this week that this company tried to spend itself out of this mess by buying a Y2K-compliant software package for those hospitals that refuse to be processed by the service bureau. However, true to form, management failed to do their homework adequately before signing on the dotted line. It was only AFTER they bought the software that they began the in-depth analysis to determine how to move the first hospital off the legacy system and onto the new software.
What they discovered, to their horror, was that it would take far longer than they had dreamed to implement the new software, and there is absolutely no way they could complete all hospitals before the year 2000.
Time to reach for the ol' panic button. They recently hired a software
consulting firm to come in and conduct a Y2K assessment with regard to the strategy of converting the legacy system to be Y2K compliant. As is so often the case, jaws dropped when the consulting firm gave their report.
But they really have no other choice. Either way, they're screwed. In my opinion, there is simply not enough time left for either plan to succeed. And I am talking here only about their legacy sytem. Their use of expensive, computer-controlled medical equipment has climbed over the last few years. What are the odds that they get that stuff analyzed and corrected in time?
[snip] ' |
