PITTSBURGH, May 27, 2009 - The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) recently became the first non-profit health care provider in the country to achieve an internationally recognized standard for effectiveness and efficiency in software development. Achievement of the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Level 2 rating is based on a rigorous appraisal methodology from Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute.
"This accomplishment by our technology staff underscores our commitment to continually improving the development and delivery of our technology products and services to better serve our patients," said UPMC Chief Information Officer Dan Drawbaugh.
The specific scope of the appraisal focused on UPMC's Strategic Biodefense Emergency Operations and Communications System (SBEOCS) team. Developed over the past four years, the system helps emergency management officials, first responders, hospitals and others to coordinate care during a disaster, manage and share assets, and collaborate on disaster planning. SBEOCS includes a public information Web site, which contains health-related information to help the public plan for, respond to and recover from disasters. This system most recently was used during the H1N1 flu outbreak to coordinate information for UPMC, the region and the state.
CMMI is a performance improvement methodology that was established to guide users in improving quality and efficiency through repeatable processes. The primary focus of CMMI is to identify and leverage an organization's best IT practices in key disciplines to better meet its business objectives.
UPMC's Innovative Medical and Information Technologies Center provided program management for the project and sponsored the CMMI initiative. The appraisal, using Standard CMMI Appraisal Method for Process Improvement Class A methodology, was conducted by Krishnan Puthucode, an SEI-authorized lead appraiser.
About UPMC
UPMC is an integrated global health enterprise headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and one of the leading nonprofit health systems in the United States. As western Pennsylvania's largest employer, with 50,000 employees and $7 billion in revenue, UPMC is transforming the economy of the region into one based on medicine, research and technology. By integrating 20 hospitals, 400 doctors' offices and outpatient sites, long-term care facilities and a major health insurance services division, and in collaboration with its academic partner, the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, UPMC has advanced the quality and efficiency of health care and developed internationally renowned programs in transplantation, cancer, neurosurgery, psychiatry, orthopaedics and sports medicine, among others. UPMC is commercializing its medical and technological expertise by nurturing new companies, developing strategic business relationships with some of the world's leading multinational corporations and expanding into international markets, including Italy, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Cyprus and Qatar. For more information about UPMC, visit our website at www.upmc.com.