Premier's Position Statement
Revised September 2009
The goal of Premier's Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) Program is to support the healthcare industry’s effort in reducing or eliminating products deemed harmful to the environment. EPP encompasses products and packaging that are, in general, less toxic, minimize pollution, more energy efficient, and are safer for patients, workers and the environment when compared to competing products and services. These include products that are biodegradable, contain less toxic and hazardous chemicals and additives, do not contain mercury, promote good indoor air quality, and/or can be re-used or recycled to minimize waste.
General
Premier will:
- Solicit input and work with member hospitals to define what environmentally preferred purchasing means on an operational level.
- Maintain an ongoing review of laws, regulations, and guidelines that impact on the healthcare environment in order to systematically evaluate products and services in light of environmentally preferred purchasing principles.
Contracting
Premier will:
- Collaborate with market leaders who have a documented agenda for developing products that are environmentally friendly;
- Continue to select vendors that promote products that minimize or eliminate hazardous chemicals, as defined by federal, state, and municipal agencies;
- Include environmental criteria or questions in Requests for
Proposals, as appropriate;
Communicate the desire for environmentally favorable products to suppliers by:
Addressing EPP in scheduled meetings with vendors/suppliers - Work with vendors to develop/redesign alternative products that are environmentally preferable;
- Assist members in the identification of environmentally preferable
products under contract to meet national or federal requirements;
Example: identify alternatives to products that contain mercury to assist with compliance with the AHA/EPA Memorandum of Understanding to virtually eliminate mercury waste by the year 2005. - Provide information to member facilities (e.g. approved product lists, resources) regarding products or services that contribute to a healthier environment for patients, workers and community; and
- Make informational resources available to its members to reinforce the importance of the environmental, public health and worker safety issues related to the products and services offered
Reuse of single use devices
- Premier understands that some Premier members have policies that call for the reprocessing of certain medical devices that are labeled as single-use devices (SUDs) by the device manufacturers.
- Decisions regarding reuse of single use medical devices are solely the decision of the member healthcare facility.
- Premier recognizes the implementation and enforcement of the new FDA requirements on reuse of SUDs that apply existing regulations equally to original equipment manufacturers, third party reprocessors, and hospitals in an effort to reduce risks associated with reuse.
- To the extent a Premier member’s policies regarding the reuse of SUDs raise issues concerning Premier’s group purchasing policies, Premier will use commercially reasonable efforts to help resolve such issues.
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