It is this background impact that practices also need to consider, comprising two components. Hence there are three components of Y2K that may affect practices, two of which will affect all practices:

Affecting all practices, as all practices have these two components:

• products and services entering the practice, and, products and services leaving the practice
• all electronic equipment in the practice.

• List areas and things thought to be at risk, classifying them into:
  • Critical the practice cannot function without it
  • Important the practice can function, but will be severely disrupted without it
  • Unimportant the practice can live with not having it. It is important to list these areas, as once considered, it may be realised that they should be moved to important or critical.
• Develop a work-around to handle the situation if an area or thing will not work properly from 1 January 2000. This may simply be a manual procedure that will allow the practice to cope. It is important that the work-arounds are planned, staff informed (and invited for input), preferably trialed to see that it actually does work etc.

Examples include:

• Having an extra supply of photocopier and fax toner cartridges in case the practices supplier cant deliver, or there is a shortage. Say enough in stock to last the practice until about March 2000 (within the use-by date limitation)
• having a spare script pad on hand if the doctors computer fails, allowing a return to manual scripting
• having manual work procedures for things that are automated by machine.

• Affecting all practices: products and services entering the practice, and, products and services leaving the practice. Consider the practice as a system: inputs, processing, outputs:
  • suppliers of goods and services may be themselves Y2K Compliant (a loosely used term that has a particular sharp meaning in some situations), but the people that supply them may not be, so the practice suppliers may find difficulty providing the products and services as they normally do. Eg, how do you know that your friendly local (or metropolitan) fax toner supplier can get you that cartridge that you just ran out of on 10 January 2000, on the same day as you order it, as they normally do? You might have to wait three days or a week! So no fax!
  • What about electricity and water? Dont worry about the regional utilities, if they go out, then the whole area is in an equal situation. If you think it critical however, then consider hiring an electricity generator. I dont know if NorthPower has given an iron-clad guarantee that they can maintain supply of electricity. Water should be OK, as much of it is gravity fed.
  • The practice is a business, and as such it supplies goods and services to customers, the patients. Will the practice be able to supply the normally expected range of goods and services? If not, what is the risk to, say human health; the role of the practice in that risk, eg litigation? Are drugs or other goods given out by the practice itself (the pharmacies must make their own Y2K arrangements]: consider holding a sufficient stock to last until say March 2000. This may require a gradual stocking up, starting from mid-year (within use-by limits).
  Following the Y2K audit procedure outlined here and documenting it briefly may be sufficient in the first instance for legal needs: documentation that all reasonable steps were taken by the practice to accommodate Y2K risk. Ask the practice solicitor.

• all electronic equipment in the practice. Those electrically-powered machines that have electronics inside them AND might have a date/time feature built into them (normally this will be obvious because something about it uses date/time.

  The question is, if there is a microchip inside that has a date-related function ticking away, will the machine still work from 1/1/2000?

  • If not, then you have a problem, and must either: get it fixed; replace it; or develop a work-around (depending on its classification: critical, important or unimportant).
  • If it will still work from 1/1/2000 (ie do its main job), is the date function necessary or useful for your continued usage of it?
  • f so, then you have a problem, and must either: get it fixed; replace it; or develop a work-around.
  • If not, then there is nothing to worry about!
• office equipment: phone (especially PABX systems); fax; photocopier; answering machine; etc
• medical equipment: sterilizer (if electronic controlled); vaccine fridge.