HCFA: We’re ready for Y2K; How about you?
Agency expects few problems paying claims
With only days left before the world says goodbye to the 20th century, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) said it is prepared for the calendars in its computers to turn over, and the federal government expects to pay its claims normally.
"Assuring doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers get paid for their services is the best way for HCFA to make sure Medicare beneficiaries continue to get the health care they need," says Robert A. Berenson, MD, director of the Center for Health Plans and Providers at HCFA.
"Our own systems, and those owned and operated by the private insurance companies that process and pay Medicare claims have been renovated, tested, and certified as Y2K-ready. That means we are ready to pay for the health care services received by Medicare beneficiaries as long as health care providers can get Y2K compliant bills to us. If they can’t get their bills to us, they just won’t get paid."
Assuring patients
But while Berenson boasts of insurers’ readiness, he says HCFA is expecting physicians, hospitals, managed care organizations, and other health care providers to be able to assure their patients that they will continue to receive care.
"We are pleased to see that in the six months since the last provider survey conducted by OIG [Office of Inspector General], health care providers have generally reported improvements in the Y2K readiness of their billing systems, medical records systems, and biomedical equipment, and that providers are more likely to report that contingency plans have been completed," he says.
According to HCFA, some providers have reported they are not ready or are not taking the steps toward Y2K preparedness. HCFA officials are concerned that a large number of providers did not respond to the survey. Still, the surveys confirm what HCFA’s own outreach efforts have told them: providers have made progress in Y2K readiness, but many still have work to do.
In October, HCFA encouraged providers to conduct future-date testing with their Medicare contractors, and urged providers who had not tested for Y2K compliance to begin planning for problems that could occur.
"We expect to continue to receive paper claims after Jan. 1, but providers need to recognize that the reason Medicare pays so quickly is because so many claims are submitted electronically and we are required, by law, to pay them timely," Berenson explains. "We are continuing to place special emphasis on the billing companies and clearinghouses that many doctors, hospitals, and other providers use to submit claims to Medicare. These companies should test their ability to generate and submit Y2K-compliant claims to Medicare to ensure they can be paid after Jan. 1, 2000. At the same time, health care providers should test their billing systems with either their billing company or HCFA."
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content