Everything from fetal monitors and diagnostic systems to lights and air conditioning and elevators has been checked. Hospitals may still use some medical devices that are not Y2K compliant, Mudron said. In the event of a computer failure or glitch, it's important to keep your insurance card easily accessible. And to be on the safe side, he said, keep records of insurance claims and lists of medications handy. It's people who have always been present to deliver the care, and we encourage hospitals to have staff there and be prepared for whatever might need to happen.
Medical personnel point out that they handle emergencies every day.
Doctors even operate right through hurricanes, using battery-operated lights if they have to. They know how to treat people without the help of computer-operated gadgets. Henry Ford Hospital is a case in point. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Kaneshia Coren Pinckney Missing from Silver Spring, Md., since July 7, 2000.