The UNOS technology project called Chrysalis marked a milestone in April, with the completion of its first phase of work. UNOS IT Support Services Director Blaine Hess reported that on April 16, the team rolled out the transplant audit program, “the first application that includes all of the new architecture, new programming.” Department of evaluation and quality (DEQ) site surveyors will use the laptop-based application to access donor/recipient information onsite, replacing time-consuming manual processes. With it, they can compare information they gather onsite with data in the system and pinpoint issues, so they can be addressed in a timely manner. Transplant centers and OPOs undergoing site surveys will find that they receive reports more quickly as a result of these improvements.
Also in April, IT teams completed programming for parts of the new match system that connects donor and candidate information, allowing parallel testing of heart and lung matches while the current system continues to operate. Work and testing will continue over the next several months, and the new system will be unveiled when all phases are complete.
Chrysalis is upgrading about 40 percent of UNetSM, to ensure the system has the necessary capacity to support current and future technology needs. The goal of Chrysalis is to put a more simplified structure in place that will allow policy changes to be made more quickly and efficiently, which means less time from board approval of policy changes to the effective date. Most of the work is occurring behind-the-scenes, so it may be sometime around early 2013 before changes in UNet are visible to users.
Several new applications that are used by DEQ and membership staff are planned for rollout this summer. One of them will automate processes to analyze organ allocations.
