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Technology Stocks : Year 2000 (Y2K) Embedded Systems & Infrastructure Problem -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John Mansfield who wrote (403)	5/24/1998 12:44:00 PM
From: John Mansfield	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 618

[HEALTHCARE] Testimony before House Committe 'Statement of Jennifer Jackson General Counsel and Vice President, Clinical Services, Connecticut Hospital Association on behalf of the American Hospital Association Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Oversight of the House Committee on Ways and Means Hearing on the Year 2000 Computer Problem May 7, 1998 Madam Chairwoman, I am Jennifer Jackson, General Counsel and Vice President, Clinical Services, at the Connecticut Hospital Association. I am here on behalf of the American Hospital Association (AHA), which represents nearly 5,000 hospitals, health systems, networks, and other providers of care. We appreciate this opportunity to present our views on an issue that is of critical importance to our members and the patients they care for: the potential for the "millennium bug" -- the inability of computer chips to recognize the Year 2000 -- to interrupt the smooth delivery of high-quality health care. The AHA and its members are committed to taking whatever steps may be necessary to prevent potential Year 2000 problems from affecting patient care. Hospitals and health systems operate seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Their doors are always open because the people they serve trust that they will be there whenever the need arises. Our number one concern is the health and safety of our patients, and that is why I am here. Hospitals and health systems face the same potential problems as most other institutions. Cellular phones, pagers, security systems, elevators -- all could be affected by Year 2000 problems. However, hospitals are special places that also rely daily upon unique medical devices and equipment. We are concerned about the potential impact of Year 2000 computer problems on patient safety -- and hospitals, health care providers and their associations cannot reduce, let alone eliminate, that risk by themselves. We need your help and cooperation, and that of the federal agencies that regulate the health care field: namely, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). In particular, we need the federal government to exercise its authority in this area -- now. We need the federal government to create an atmosphere in which everyone involved in the health care field will view the full and timely disclosure of Year 2000 computer problems not only as diligent and prudent behavior -- the right thing to do -- but also as mandatory conduct. One of our primary concerns has to do with potentially non-compliant medical devices and equipment. Microchips (or microprocessors) that use date-sensitive logic are embedded in many medical devices, and we need to find out whether those devices will be affected by the date change to the Year 2000, and, if so, how we can fix them to avoid an interruption or other malfunction. The manufacturers of these devices are the best and, and in some cases, the only source of this information. Assuming that prudent medical device and equipment manufacturers are engaging in Year 2000 testing, we need to know what they are discovering, especially if they are uncovering problems. Here lies the heart of our concern. ... house.gov