CPC is a hybrid client-server application built on an open source stack, which best ensures compliance with industry standards while providing scalability and high performance. Additionally, all of the other benefits of open source software, including a lower total cost of ownership are passed onto our customers.

The CPC client is an application consisting of XML, XSLT, Javascript (AJAX), XPCOM, XUL, and XHTML that runs within the Firefox browser. The application was designed to allow users to chart online and offline. Offline charting is synchronized to the servers the next time the user gets online. Secure logins requiring strong passwords are required to access data. All data transmissions are protected via HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) over SSL (Secure Sockets Layer).

Updates: Software updates are easily accomplished with one click. In addition, mandatory updates can be issued forcing the client software to update itself.

Support: Problem reporting is built into the system and automatically sends our technical support team the data necessary to solve the problem. Support requests can also be submitted via phone, fax, or email. All support requests are entered into our help desk database and are tracked to resolution.

 

The CPC system employs a combination of redundant, fail-over Dell‚ PowerEdge and HP G5, rack-mounted servers using Dual Core Intel processors running Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Apache, and Postgres. The servers are monitored 24 hours a day by a team of UNIX specialists. Servers are hosted in multiple data centers across the country utilizing:

Security: The facilities have 24 hour, biometric building access, on-site security personnel and video monitoring of facility 24/7.

Power: Diesel generator in combination with a next-generation UPS and automatic transfer switch system to provide steady, clean, hospital grade, uninterruptible electricity to the servers.

Environment: Raised floor with neutral, grounded, anti-static tiles.

mumms® follows the life-cycle strategy of releasing early and often and as such puts out new releases approximately every three months. All program changes are added to our code repositories and updated to the development servers for internal testing. From there, updates are moved to a staging server to begin extensive testing by mumms® staff technicians as well as hospice and palliative care client beta testers. (We encourage key personnel at each organization to join our Beta Testing Team.) Prior to every update‚ installation on the production servers, an advanced notice of the update‚ installation date and complete release notes are provided to all users, and additional training, if applicable, is provided. When ready for production, all updates are installed on the production servers with no action required from the users.

Data on the production servers are mirrored each night to backup production servers. The data is also stored on data-specific backup servers for five days and copied to tape and transported to a secure offsite backup facility. In the event of a production server failure, any data that has changed since the previous night‚ backup is re-synched to the backup server and clients are automatically updated to use the backup server. Additionally, the fact remains that mumms® is headquartered in New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina provided the opportunity to carry our contingency plans well beyond planning or testing phases. mumms® successfully confirmed its system contingency plans will support the mumms® system and data links to hospices all around the country. The result of Katrina on the mumms® system was: No mumms® user lost or compromised data and no mumms® user ever lost access to the mumms® program.