166
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.R. NO.              
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE  RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO MONITOR ALL HOSPITAL AND
    HEALTH CARE FACILITIES, HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS, AND
    PHARMACIES IN THE STATE, INCLUDING THE DEPARTMENT'S OWN
    OPERATIONS AND PROGRAMS, TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE BEEN
    MADE YEAR 2000 COMPLIANT OR HAVE MADE PROVISION TO ACHIEVE
    YEAR 2000 COMPLIANCE TO PREVENT POSSIBLE DISRUPTION TO
    PATIENT SERVICES.


 1        WHEREAS, the well-publicized year 2000 problem stems from
 2   the fact that many computer systems utilize only the last two
 3   digits to represent a year, and "00" may be read as "1900"
 4   instead of "2000"; and
 5   
 6        WHEREAS, it is universally recognized that the year 2000
 7   problem, if not unequivocally fixed, may cause significant
 8   problems beginning with the approach to the year 2000 and
 9   beyond in all areas where computer system applications use or
10   process date-sensitive data and the computer systems are not
11   year 2000 compliant; and
12   
13        WHEREAS, "year 2000 compliant" means, with respect to any
14   computer system, that the system accurately processes date and
15   time data (including calculating, comparing, projecting, and
16   sequencing) from 1999 into the year 2000 and beyond; and
17   
18        WHEREAS, according to a Gartner Group report issued at the
19   1998 Annual Healthcare Information and Management Systems
20   Society Conference, eighty-five per cent of all health care
21   organizations risk year 2000-related systems failures; and
22   
23        WHEREAS, year 2000-related systems failures may affect
24   doctors' offices, outpatient imaging and treatment centers,
25   hospitals and other health care providers and their patients in
26   many areas, such as:
27   
28        (1)  Emergency and life support systems;
29   
30        (2)  Diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, especially
31             medical devices with embedded computer chips that
32             process date and time data;
33   
34        (3)  Transportation;
35   

 
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                                  H.R. NO.              
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1        (4)  Insurance benefits;
 2   
 3        (5)  Medicare and Medicaid services and payments; and
 4   
 5        (6)  Timely access to prescription medications;
 6   
 7   and
 8   
 9        WHEREAS, according to the United States Health Care
10   Financing Administration, the year 2000 problem may affect the
11   processing of Medicare claim forms and disrupt payments to
12   vendors and may result in beneficiaries being denied services
13   because providers may not be able to confirm eligibility; and
14   
15        WHEREAS, the process of achieving year 2000 compliance can
16   be generally described as follows:
17   
18        (1)  Awareness of the problem;
19   
20        (2)  Assessment of the problem, including conducting an
21             inventory and audit of systems and equipment;
22   
23        (3)  Validation or testing of critical systems and
24             equipment and obtaining compliance documentation;
25   
26        (4)  Formulating a budget plan to effect compliance;
27   
28        (5)  Renovation or replacement of systems and equipment;
29             and
30   
31        (6)  Contingency planning for failures;
32   
33   and
34   
35        WHEREAS, these computer systems in the health care
36   industry must be modified and made year 2000 compliant in order
37   to ensure the safety and health of patients before January 1,
38   2000; now, therefore,
39   
40        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
41   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
42   of 1999, that the Department of Health is requested to monitor
43   all hospital and health care facilities, health care providers,
44   and pharmacies in the State, including the Department's own
45   operations and programs, to ensure that they have been made
46   year 2000 compliant or have made provisions to achieve year
47   2000 compliance to prevent possible disruption in patient
48   services; and
49   

 
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                                  H.R. NO.              
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health is
 2   requested to encourage the use of the process of achieving year
 3   2000 compliance as generally described above; and
 4   
 5        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
 6   Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health and to the
 7   Chairperson of the Board of Pharmacy.
 8   
 9   
10   
11                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________