The Big Apple’s Cyber Nightmare

Failure to integrate information systems leaves New Yorkers seeking COVID-19 vaccination out of luck.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a series of articles called “Cyber Watch,” produced by RACmonitor and authored by Edward Roche.

New York City is supposed to be one of the most advanced data processing centers in the world. Wall Street, banking, insurance – all of these sectors are heavy users of computing systems. The city also has a few pockets of technology innovation, and even a few start-ups.

One would think that when it comes to IT, the Big Apple would shine. But that’s not what’s happening now.

The hasty and ill-planned efforts to vaccinate New Yorkers has turned into an IT nightmare. Nothing seems to work. The New York City Health Department has set up a “vaccine finder” website designed to show the places where one can be vaccinated. There is a map display and list of locations, each with a “schedule an appointment” button. Sounds easy, right? The only problem is that it doesn’t seem to work well.

Each vaccination location is different. Each requires one to fill out a lengthy questionnaire about one’s eligibility, name, address, date of birth, email address, sex, race, whether or not you are Hispanic, what type of work you do, and so on. Many require that you register and get a login and password.

Every single one I tried would get to the stage where the system was going to send a verification email or SMS message as confirmation, then nothing happens. All the data lost; all the effort wasted.

Some have numbers to call. That yields no answer, or a long recorded message with irrelevant information.

Sometimes you can get to the last step, which is “schedule an appointment,” then, guess what – no appointments are available, even if you look as far out as June.

One wonders why the site is listed at all, if there are zero appointments available? One wonders why it asks for so much information if there are no appointments anyway.

So you go to another location. Go through the same thing again. Repeat.

My wife and I have been doing this over and over for two days, looking at locations in Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and in other places I’ve never heard of.

Some people seem to be getting through. But how efficient is the system? As of tonight, New York City has used up 267,923 out of 793,000 vaccinations that were delivered. So around 525,000 doses are sitting in storage.

Things are not working well, at all.

The situation in New York City is a cyber crisis. It is the result of lack of planning and lack of coordination between different information systems. Citizens are wasting hours and hours re-entering the same data over and over, and finding out that nothing is available, over and over.

It is the result of using hundreds of information systems, when actually there should be only one.

What we see in New York City is not only a health disaster, but it is a cyber disaster. Hopefully New York is not becoming a model for other cities in the United States.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Edward M. Roche, PhD, JD

Edward Roche is the director of scientific intelligence for Barraclough NY, LLC. Mr. Roche is also a member of the California Bar. Prior to his career in health law, he served as the chief research officer of the Gartner Group, a leading ICT advisory firm. He was chief scientist of the Concours Group, both leading IT consulting and research organizations. Mr. Roche is a member of the RACmonitor editorial board as an investigative reporter and is a popular panelist on Monitor Mondays.

Related Stories

Leave a Reply

Please log in to your account to comment on this article.

Featured Webcasts

Leveraging the CERT: A New Coding and Billing Risk Assessment Plan

Leveraging the CERT: A New Coding and Billing Risk Assessment Plan

Frank Cohen shows you how to leverage the Comprehensive Error Rate Testing Program (CERT) to create your own internal coding and billing risk assessment plan, including granular identification of risk areas and prioritizing audit tasks and functions resulting in decreased claim submission errors, reduced risk of audit-related damages, and a smoother, more efficient reimbursement process from Medicare.

April 9, 2024
2024 Observation Services Billing: How to Get It Right

2024 Observation Services Billing: How to Get It Right

Dr. Ronald Hirsch presents an essential “A to Z” review of Observation, including proper use for Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and commercial payers. He addresses the correct use of Observation in medical patients and surgical patients, and how to deal with the billing of unnecessary Observation services, professional fee billing, and more.

March 21, 2024
Top-10 Compliance Risk Areas for Hospitals & Physicians in 2024: Get Ahead of Federal Audit Targets

Top-10 Compliance Risk Areas for Hospitals & Physicians in 2024: Get Ahead of Federal Audit Targets

Explore the top-10 federal audit targets for 2024 in our webcast, “Top-10 Compliance Risk Areas for Hospitals & Physicians in 2024: Get Ahead of Federal Audit Targets,” featuring Certified Compliance Officer Michael G. Calahan, PA, MBA. Gain insights and best practices to proactively address risks, enhance compliance, and ensure financial well-being for your healthcare facility or practice. Join us for a comprehensive guide to successfully navigating the federal audit landscape.

February 22, 2024
Mastering Healthcare Refunds: Navigating Compliance with Confidence

Mastering Healthcare Refunds: Navigating Compliance with Confidence

Join healthcare attorney David Glaser, as he debunks refund myths, clarifies compliance essentials, and empowers healthcare professionals to safeguard facility finances. Uncover the secrets behind when to refund and why it matters. Don’t miss this crucial insight into strategic refund management.

February 29, 2024
2024 ICD-10-CM/PCS Coding Clinic Update Webcast Series

2024 ICD-10-CM/PCS Coding Clinic Update Webcast Series

HIM coding expert, Kay Piper, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, reviews the guidance and updates coders and CDIs on important information in each of the AHA’s 2024 ICD-10-CM/PCS Quarterly Coding Clinics in easy-to-access on-demand webcasts, available shortly after each official publication.

April 15, 2024

Trending News

Happy National Doctor’s Day! Learn how to get a complimentary webcast on ‘Decoding Social Admissions’ as a token of our heartfelt appreciation! Click here to learn more →

SPRING INTO SAVINGS! Get 21% OFF during our exclusive two-day sale starting 3/21/2024. Use SPRING24 at checkout to claim this offer. Click here to learn more →