Preparing a hospital for Y2K

December 31, 1999
Web posted at: 10:22 a.m. EST (1522 GMT)

From Medical Correspondent Dr. Steve Salvatore

New York (CNN) -- For Lucia Skwarek, the New Year's celebration won't just mark the birth of a millennium, but the birth of her twin babies, an event she approaches without any fears of Y2K problems.

"I'm surprised just how many things are still done by hand, and how many hand-written charts there are," Skwarek said. "It's actually very, at least so far what I can tell, very non-computerized."

Dr. Alan Kessler is an obstetrician at the New York Weill Cornell Medical Center where Skwarek is expected to deliver.

He said computers do play a role in labor and delivery at the hospital.

"Most of our computerization for OB/GYN revolves around labor and delivery, particularly fetal heart rate monitoring, retrieving laboratory tests and such," he said.

ALSO For more ITN millennium coverage, visit ITN on line.

Kessler said an electrical problem is more likely to pose a risk in the delivery room than a computer problem. But if a power outage occurs, the hospital is prepared to work through it.

"We could always use flashlights," he said. "We have battery-powered devices to listen to the baby's heart rate in labor."

But any Y2K computer problem is unlikely, according to Dr. Frank Chervenak, director of the OB/GYN unite. He said the hospital is prepared and ready to go on January 1, 2000.

"Our equipment is up-to-date; we anticipate no special problems," he said. "We're excited about taking care of new mothers and babies in the new millennium."

Skwarek says she is excited also to have twins ring in the new year.

'Health care has taken this very seriously'

The beginning of the new year should mark the end of nearly three years of hard work for the operations department at Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Every computer system that interfaces with medical equipment or patients has been updated and checked to prevent any Y2K problems.

"You have no idea the amount of planning that has gone into this by hospitals," said contingency planner Anita Brassard. "Health care has taken this very seriously."

William Green, the vice president of operations at the hospital, is the point man for the entire Y2K upgrade.

"The testing that we did cost $42 million dollars," he said. "We replaced $15 million dollars worth of biomedical engineering equipment -- patient monitoring equipment."

In addition to all computer-related equipment, the elevators, the security system and even the water supply has been checked and re-checked.

"We've put together a multi-disciplinary team over the past two and a half years to really plan for it," Greene said. "Because part of the planning is determining what do we do if the unforseen occurs.

"In spite of all the planning, suppose something goes wrong -- we're ready."

One critical area to the hospital operations is the ambulances.

"The big thing you worry about is communications failure or power failure," said Steve Samuels, who coordinates the hospitals emergency response team. "We've made as much arrangements as we can with auxillary communications -- with satellite phones and cell phones and things of that nature."