UW Health vendors: Making working with us easier

The University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority encourages participation in the competitive contracting process by a diverse supply base that is reflective of the local and regional business environment. We are interested in doing our part to have a positive impact on the local economy and giving back to the community. The University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority is committed to fair and equal treatment of all suppliers. If you feel the products and services your company offers may be of interest to us and you wish to be considered for future contracting opportunities, please give us a call at (608) 203-4640. 

Additional resources

• UW Health Master Terms and Conditions (pdf)

• False Claims - Whistleblower Protection Policy

You or your organization may qualify as a “contractor” or “agent” of the University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation, Inc. (“UWMF”), as defined in Section 6032 of the Federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (the “Act”). As you may well know the Act was passed in 2006 and requires that certain health care providers, including UWMF, undertake the following:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) of the Department of Health & Human Services interpreted the Act as requiring that UWMF establish and disseminate to its employees, contractors and/or agents, written policies as outlined above, detailing UWMF principles, policies and procedures for detecting and preventing waste, fraud, and abuse, as well as corporate protections for whistleblowers. CMS further determined that UWMF must require that all its health care contractors or agents adopt these same policies and procedures.

Accordingly, please review the current UWMF False Claims – Whistleblower Protection Policy. In the future, UWMF will comply with CMS guidance and address its obligations under the Act through the addition of language that requires you to adopt all such policies and procedures in any renewal contract(s) or agreement(s).

Additional information about the Act may be found online at www.cms.hhs.gov. Questions or concerns regarding interpretation of the Act may be submitted via e-mail to CMS at medicaid_integrity_program@cms.hhs.gov.

False claims - Whistleblower protection policy (pdf)

Licensed physicians who are not faculty members of UW School of Medicine and Public Health must coordinate visits through Medical Staff Administration by emailing mdobservers@uwhealth.org

Please call (608) 263-6601 with any questions.

All observers and job shadows in a patient care environment will need to provide immunization/vaccination documentation for the following:

• Coronavirus (COVID-19)

• Tuberculosis (TB, within the past 12 months)

• Influenza (between Octobers and March)

• Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)

• Varicella (chicken pox)

History of the disease does not satisfy that requirement.

An observer is defined as someone who will observe the work of a UW Health employee for a defined period of time. Observers are subject to the following guideline:

• To be an observer at UW Health, an individual must be sponsored by a UW Health manager, director, physician, or vice president.

• Those observers 16 and 17 years of age, visiting adult patient care areas, must be sponsored by a clinician.

• The decision to agree to sponsor an observer, and the obligations that run with sponsorship, lives wholly with the sponsor.

To request to be an observer, potential observers should contact their sponsor - a UW Health manager, director, physician, or vice president - directly. The sponsor will then complete our sponsor agreement to initiate the approval process.

Observer on-boarding age-based observation experiences

• Completed 8th grade through 15 years of age: Observation in non-patient care area experience

• Ages 16 and 17: Observation in non-patient care area experience

• Ages 16 and 17: Observation adult patient care area experience (must be sponsored by a clinician)

• 18 and older: Observation in patient care areas experience

The purpose is to manage vendor representatives of UW Health. They make sure vendors are wearing a badge, maintain a database of vendors, monitor their activities and make sure vendors follow the appropriate policies. They protect physician and staff efficiency and integrity, to avoid disruption of care and to ensure patient privacy and confidentiality.

Yes, all vendors of clinical materials (drugs, med/surg supplies, imaging and laboratory technology… anything that is involved in the care of patients, either directly or indirectly) must register. There are a couple of exceptions. See “Become a UW Health vendor”.

Most vendor representatives do need to pay a fee and wear a photo ID badge when in UW Health facilities. All vendor representatives that have a sales, marketing, or promotional responsibility must pay the annual registration fee and obtain a photo ID badge. Vendor representatives who do not have a sales responsibility (for example, research staff, service personnel, etc.) do not need to pay the fee or secure a badge but they still must register. The registration fee is determined on a yearly basis and is pro-rated accordingly.

They must register but should be listed on your registration form as being your supervisor. With that designation, the manager does not need to obtain a badge or pay an additional fee. Note: Those supervisors in need of patient area privilege, must comply with all of the requirements outlined in UW Health Policy 11.19.

All vendor representatives, regardless of whether you currently sell products to UW Health or plan to sell to UW Health, are required to register, pay the registration fee and wear a badge while at UW Health facilities.

Research personnel do need to register and obtain either a day pass or a badge. Your registration will be valid for the remainder of the registration period. For visits longer than one day and up to five consecutive week days, you can sign in once and be issued a day pass. If you need to be at UW Health longer than five days, you will need to obtain a badge. Vendor representatives involved solely with research coordination do not need to pay the yearly registration fee.

While our policy specifically prohibits representatives from interacting with our patients, there are a few exceptions to that rule (such as reps who have a legitimate role in servicing equipment or training faculty and staff). If you qualify as an exception to this rule, you will need to provide documentation of a negative tuberculosis skin test, vaccination against or documented immunity from measles, mumps, rubella, varicella and hepatitis B. You must also complete the annual UW Health Safety and Infection Control assessment. We will coordinate the documentation of these requirements when you register.

When you register you will be issued a Personal Identification Number (PIN) that will allow you to obtain a set of scrubs for a $2 fee. You cannot obtain a second pair of scrubs until the first set is turned in. All scrubs must be returned prior to ceasing business at UW Health or a $25 invoice will be sent to your company. The Vendor Liaison Office will coordinate this process, including billing the companies for the use of UW Health scrubs.

The registration fee pays for all fees related to managing vendor relations and policy compliance.

Each fiscal year, UW Health will provide a summary funds documenting that the funds were appropriately spent. This summary may be obtained by submitting a request via email.

No. Rates will pro-rated fee based on the number of quarters remaining in the registration year. For example, if you will be registering any time between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, your registration fee will be $187.50.

No, if you do not stay at UW Health for the entire registration period, you will not receive any money back. However, annual fees can be transferred to another representative from your company for the remainder of the current registration period. You must surrender your badge before the new representative will be issued a badge.

You must report the lost badge and pay a $25 badge replacement fee. You will then be issued a new badge.

In May of each calendar year UW Health will begin issuing reminders for the upcoming renewal which begins every July 1. You will be required to turn in your old badge, pay the annual registration fee and verify your registration information. You will be issued a new badge. You may also need to complete the annual University Hospital safety and infection control training, document updated tuberculosis test and vaccine status to obtain a new badge. The badges for the upcoming year will be valid for the remaining period of the current registration period if you choose to register before July 1.

If you have any further questions, please contact the VLO by e-mail at VLO@uwhealth.org and they will do their best to help.