Most Medicare MCOs not Y2K-ready

Fewer than 25% of Medicare managed care organizations are prepared to deal with potential Year 2000 computer problems, reports the Office of the Inspector General.

According to a May survey, 78% of MCOs say they are not now Y2K-ready. However, 65% say their systems will be ready by Dec. 31, 1999. Another 34% of MCOs report they will be 67% to 99% Y2K-compliant by New Year’s Day.

This lack of preparation raises questions about possible breakdowns in Medicare managed care billing, medical information, and membership enrollment and disenrollment systems. If you have not done so already, now is the time to check with any Medicare MCO your practice deals with about their Y2K status, and prepare contingency plans should parts of their system be bitten by the millennium bug.