Just 13 percent of hospitals' computer systems and 6 percent of medical devices are currently free of Y2K errors, according to a survey the American Hospital Association released Wednesday. Still, fewer than one percent of hospitals predict they will encounter computer problems that impact critical operations. One veteran programmer said the group's optimism was misplaced. I have a hard time reconciling Fred Brown's confidence with the figures that the AHA itself released. Reassuring the public that Y2K will not be a disaster has become nearly a full-time job for government officials and corporate executives.
Medical devices cause the greatest fears .
Over 80 percent of people polled in a recent Freedom Forum survey say they're more worried about the readiness of medical and 911 services than financial institutions. Most hospitals have started to talk about Y2K disruptions with their local utilities. Previous reports have not verified problems with pacemakers, although some of the devices store data that doctors download for analysis. If the battery fails on its RT-series ultrasound machines in the year 2000, the entire CPU board must be replaced, the company says. Many GE Advantx cardiac digital imaging systems require software updates to start up after 31 December.