Vizient Launches Industry’s Largest Portfolio of Environmentally Preferred Hospital Furniture

IRVING, Texas (BUSINESS WIRE), May 1, 2019 – Vizient, Inc. announces the expansion of its Environmentally Preferred Sourcing (EPS) program with the May 1 launch of the nation’s largest, most comprehensive portfolio of environmentally preferred furniture. This brings the total number of environmentally preferred (EP) products in the Vizient EPS program to more than 450,000 items.

The companies now under contract offer furniture that is free of formaldehyde, perfluorinated compounds, polyvinyl chloride, antimicrobials and flame retardants. These chemicals have been linked to adverse effects on human and environmental health and can be released throughout the life cycle of a product. Some have been linked to serious health effects including cancer, obesity, neurodevelopment, reproductive issues and more.

“Vizient is prioritizing expansion of EP products within our contract portfolio because member demand is high,” said Cristina Indiveri, senior director, program services, for Vizient. “For instance, we are seeing more health systems move away from products that include flame retardants based on the harmful impacts on human health.” Recent studies have linked flame retardants to endocrine and thyroid disruption, impacts to the immune system and reproductive toxicity among other adverse effects.

“This is why the new furniture portfolio is so important for our members. The wide range of products offered in this new portfolio is another way that health systems can achieve their goals for environmentally preferred purchasing,” Indiveri said.

As part of the program, independent auditors will provide certification of manufacturing standards. Suppliers have also agreed to provide separate documentation for EP and conventional product purchases to facilitate member tracking.

Suppliers include AllSeating Furniture, Global Industries Furniture, Knoll Furniture, Herman Miller Furniture, National Office Furniture and Steelcase Furniture.

The types of products included in the program are:

• General/Office
  • Guest chairs
  • Task chairs
  • Reception and lounge seating
• Patient room furniture
  • Patient recliners
  • Patient chairs
  • Patient room sleepers/sofas
  • Bedside cabinets/ over-bed tables
• Systems furniture
  • Cubicles
  • Workstations
• Miscellaneous furniture
  • Desks
  • Credenzas
  • Bookcases
  • Conference chairs and tables
  • Dining chairs and tables
  • Filing cabinets and other furniture solutions.

Vizient launched its Environmentally Preferred Sourcing program in 2017 to help health care providers easily access a wide array of products that are safe for patients and caregivers while minimizing environmental impact.

In 2011, Vizient was among the first in the industry to begin collecting data on environmentally preferred attributes from furniture suppliers. Vizient solidified its environmental commitment in October 2017 by making environmental attributes part of its criteria for contract awards. Since then, supplier submission of EP attributes has increased from less than 10% to nearly 75%.

“It is rewarding to know that our EPS program is making a positive contribution to human and environmental health by enabling responsible sourcing decisions,” said Indiveri.

About Vizient, Inc.

Vizient, Inc., the largest member-driven health care performance improvement company in the country, provides innovative data-driven solutions, expertise and collaborative opportunities that lead to improved patient outcomes and lower costs. Vizient’s diverse membership base includes academic medical centers, pediatric facilities, community hospitals, integrated health delivery networks and non-acute health care providers and represents approximately $100 billion in annual purchasing volume. The Vizient brand identity represents the integration of VHA Inc., University HealthSystem Consortium and Novation, which combined in 2015, as well as MedAssets’ Spend and Clinical Resource Management (SCM) segment, including Sg2, which was acquired in 2016. In 2019, Vizient again received a World’s Most Ethical Company designation from the Ethisphere Institute. Vizient’s headquarters are in Irving, Texas, with locations in Chicago and other cities across the United States. Please visit www.vizientinc.com as well as our newsroom, blog, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube pages for more information about the company.