Concerned that too many physicians are trusting to the fates to carry them through the Y2K computer transition, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), the federal agency that administers the Medicare program, is reminding physicians that it is critical to test their billing systems to make sure they are Y2K compatible with Medicare’s updated software.

The agency suggests three avenues psychiatrists and other physicians can follow to determine whether their computer systems will see the new year in free of aggravation-inducing software glitches.

The first of these is to call their local Medicare insurance carrier for information on how to test their computer system’s Y2K readiness. Physicians can also telephone HCFA toll free at (800) 958-HCFA or consult the agency’s Web site at <www.hcfa.gov/Y2K>.

For its part, HCFA maintains that its Medicare software is completely Y2K ready, but acknowledges that problems may arise when individual physicians have trouble filing claims with their Medicare fiscal intermediary because they have not taken the steps necessary to ensure that their office billing system is compatible with the insurer’s once forms have to carry a year 2000 date.

The agency is also urging physicians to contact the vendors and contractors who provide computer hardware and software to their offices to ascertain whether there are any other Y2K-related concerns they must address for billing and other functions in addition to Medicare billing. These can include patient management, office payroll, and telephone and security systems.

Y2K preparations and modifications are still under way at the APA central office and many of its district branches, according to Charles Killian, head of APA’s information systems division.

"At the central office, work began on two major systems—membership and accounting—two years ago. These systems are largely completed, with the exception of enhancements. This is the good news," he pointed out.

Tasks yet to be completed include "bringing journals and publishing up to speed." Killian anticipates that these functions will be resolved "just under the wire."

When the upgrades and modifications are incorporated into APA’s information systems, APA will be able "to share data more readily with district branches and, where appropriate, through the Internet with members," he said.