Vendor Relations

Supplier Registration

IU Health requires all new suppliers to complete our virtual registration. The virtual registration must be completed prior to providing goods or services to IU Health. To inquire on how to register, please reach out to the IU Health team member requesting your good or service. For more information, please refer to the FAQs below.

Please note: The first person registering from your company becomes the "primary contact" and the administrator of your company’s account with us. You will set up the company information and your own contact information (including email) as the primary contact. Maintain your company’s information in the future using the Update Account Information link. The primary contact can also set up logins for other Supplier Contacts in your company. If you should not be the primary contact for your company, please forward to the appropriate contact.

Vendor Conduct

While on IU Health premises, vendors are subject to the same standards of conduct as IU Health staff. Vendors are expected to conduct themselves in a proper manner and be professional in appearance. No illegal substances or alcoholic beverages are allowed on IU Health property. IU Health is smoke-free. Smoking or the use of tobacco products of any kind is not permitted. Other vendor conduct includes:

Wireless Technology

Vendors shall not use wireless technologies—including cellular phones, wireless computers and other devices that may emit electromagnetic interference—in any patient care area. These devices may be used in administrative offices, non-patient care conference rooms, cafeterias and physician offices.

Gifts

Do not offer gratuities, fees, gifts, services, loans, entertainment or other favors to IU Health staff with the intent to influence, even by appearance, a decision affecting IU Health or an IU Health patient.

Parking

Use the visitor parking areas closest to the facility you are visiting. Facility maps are available at all information desks. Fees for parking are the vendor's responsibility. Main entrance drives, delivery docks and other designated "No Parking" areas should not be used.

Confidential Information

To assist employees in upholding the IU Health policy on Standards of Conduct for Business Practices, do not request pricing or related confidential information. All questions regarding IU Health policies, procedures and regulations concerning aspects of purchasing should be referred to IU Health Supply Chain Operations.

Vendor Visitation Policies

IU Health recognizes that vendors are important to our success. IU Health also acknowledges the training, knowledge and expertise that vendor representatives possess which contributes to the organization's ability to expedite procedures and thus facilitate desired patient outcomes. Vendors are asked to observe the following visitation policies:

Scheduling visits

Vendors are expected to schedule all on-site activity in advance. Vendor representatives are asked to sign in at the Vendormate badge station upon arrival and wear proper identification while in the facility. Vendor representatives on site without a IU Health visitor's badge will be asked by IU Health management or security personnel to leave the facility.

Presence in procedural areas

The presence of the representative in a procedural area will be scheduled at the request of the surgeon, anesthesiologist, department director, manager or a designee. Presence during an emergent procedure should be verified with the physician and department director, manager or a designee in lieu of a formal appointment.

Vendor representatives will only be allowed to be present during procedures upon completion of the IU Health vendor registration process.

Presence in patient care areas

Vendor representatives will be permitted in patient care areas only when deemed necessary and approved by department directors, managers or their designees. Representatives will be allowed to pass through a patient care area on a one-time basis when en route to scheduled, office-based appointments. Vendor presence in a patient care area should not be used as an authorization to conduct promotional activities with any physician, pharmacists, nurses or other employees present.

Physician & staff lounge areas

Physician and staff lounges are intended as private areas for breaks. Vendors should not enter these areas, out of respect for the clinical team.

Bringing products into the facility

Any products the vendor brings in will be removed upon departure from the facility, unless otherwise approved. Offering promotional items, including food, for the clinical team is highly discouraged since this practice can be viewed as a conflict of interest and indirectly impacts our cost of products and services.

Policy infractions

At any point where the presence of the representative is deemed intrusive, he or she will be excused from the area, or facility. Any infractions of this policy or inappropriate behaviors will be addressed according to the policy.

Vendor Violation of Guidelines

Violations of the protocol outlined in this site will be reported to Indiana University Health Supply Chain Operations. A file of all complaints will be maintained in IU Health Supply Chain Operations, along with documentation of the notice of the corrective action taken. Any violation of these guidelines may result in one or more of the following consequences:

First Infraction

The sales representative, district manager and home office may receive a notice of violation from IU Health Supply Chain Operations.

Second Infraction

IU Health Supply Chain Operations may suspend the vendor representative's privileges at IU Health for 60 days and send a notice of violation to the district manager and home office.

Third Infraction

IU Health Supply Chain Operations may revoke the vendor representative's privileges at IU Health for 24 months, at which time the representative may contact IU Health Supply Chain Operations for reinstatement. Notice may also be sent to the district manager and home office.

Information Security

These requirements documents below describe the information security requirements for systems that will be storing or processing data on behalf of IU Health.

We have developed a series of documents to provide our vendors an understanding of what our requirements are for applicable technologies and processes. They discuss:

• The basic information security requirements that we have for connecting a system to our network
• Storing protected data on our behalf
• Processing protected data on our behalf

We understand that many of our vendors will be utilizing cloud-based infrastructure, APIs and services to provide solutions to us. These documents were written with that in mind.

Vendor Access

Vendors that require access to IU Health systems and applications should work through their sponsoring department to complete a vendor access request. Please refer to the Vendor Access for IU Health Systems information in the IU Health Service Desk system for specific steps on requesting vendor access.