Wellstar Corporate Supply Chain Group

All healthcare industry representatives are required to register in the Wellstar Vendor Program prior to conducting business onsite.

Access to Wellstar hospitals and personnel by healthcare industry representatives will be controlled. Our policies regarding representative’s visitation are:

• Healthcare industry representatives will sign in on the day of their appointment at one of the vendor check-in locations:
  • Mail Room (8:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
  • Biomedical Engineering (8:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
  • Pharmacy (5:00 PM - 8:00 AM)
  • Cardiac Cath Lab (24 hours, 7 days a week)
  • Surgical Services (24 hours, 7 days a week)
  • GI Lab (24 hours, 7 days a week)
• Healthcare industry representatives will wear the temporary vendor badge produced by the Vendormate system. Badges are only valid for one day.
• Healthcare industry representatives will return the temporary vendor badge and its holder to the location where it was produced.
• Healthcare industry may not bring product in to the operating room without approval from the director/manager of surgical services, supply coordinator, or specialty nurse. Any product brought in to the OR for use that has not been specifically pre-authorized by the specialty nurse, supply coordinator, or director/manager will be considered to have been furnished on a no-charge basis.
• Healthcare industry representatives may NOT solicit business within the operating room. Please address yourself only to the surgeon for whose case you are present.

Please note that vendor certification is different than vendor registration. All on-site vendors must register, but certain vendors are required to be certified.

A healthcare industry representative may be present during some procedures in surgical services. This may occur when the representative is bringing technology and equipment that is not routinely available at Wellstar Health System. They are here because by virtue of their training, knowledge, and expertise they can provide technical assistance to the surgical team, which expedites the procedure or facilitates the desired patient outcome.

• The representatives must present documentation that they have completed instructions in the principles of: Operating Room protocols, fire and safety protocols, infections control practices, blood borne pathogens, and patient’s rights. This information will be provided to the representatives prior to or on the first visit. Documentation will be kept in the department.
• The healthcare industry representative will also be asked to sign the Wellstar Confidentiality statement as well as that of the Surgical Services Division. It is preferred that healthcare industry representatives unknown to the individual Wellstar facility as of January 1, 2005, present documentation from their company that indicates they have had instruction in aseptic technique and operating room protocols. Those representatives who were coming to Wellstar Health System prior to this date are known by the staff at the individual facility as proficient in operating room protocol may be waived from this requirement with a statement from the Director/Manager of the Operating Room.
• Healthcare industry representatives are invited guests. While in the department they will function under the direction of the circulating registered nurse within the procedure room and the charge nurse on duty. Noncompliance to directions from either of these nurses would result in their removal from the facility.
• Other healthcare industry representatives function in a clinical role through independent contracted service agreements. These services include but are not limited to: those for salvaging and returning autologous blood, spine monitoring, providing laser services; or services of an RNFA.
• The RN responsible for the patient’s care during the procedure is accountable for maintaining the patient’s safety, privacy, dignity, and confidentiality. To accomplish this the RN should monitor the healthcare industry representative’s activities whenever possible and facilitate the representative’s service to the patient and the surgical team during the procedure. The RN should be informed prior to the procedure that a healthcare industry representative will be present and about their purpose and product.
• The patient must be informed that a healthcare industry representative will be present during their procedure and what their role will be during that time. The patient must be informed of and give written consent to allow the healthcare industry representative to be present during the surgery.
• Surgery team members are responsible for acquiring instruction on new procedures, techniques, technology, and equipment with which they are not familiar prior to their use during any surgical procedure. This instruction may be provided by the healthcare industry representative. The facility should maintain evidence of documented competencies for healthcare professionals, especially when introducing new procedures, techniques, technology, and equipment as required by the JCAHO.
• All healthcare industry representatives must have approval from the department director or their designee before entering the operating room suite. The healthcare industry representative’s presence and purpose should be scheduled prior to the case with the charge nurse or her designee and the surgeon. This should be ideally completed 24 hours prior to the scheduled surgery time.
• The healthcare industry representative will wear clean scrub attire (changing to Wellstar Health System scrubs after arrival) when in the facility. Upon arrival, the representative should present to the control desk and register their presence and purpose for their visit in the Visitor Log. They will wear a personal identification badge while in the operating room. The healthcare industry representatives are restricted to the designated operating room and the dressing rooms. Industry representatives found wandering the facility will be asked to leave the facility.
• At Kennestone Hospital the healthcare industry representative will be given a hospital department badge that must be worn. This badge, as well as a personal company identification badge must be worn and visible while in the operating room. The department badge must be returned to the control desk on departure.
• No healthcare industry representatives should ever, under any circumstances, “scrub in” or provide direct patient care. They may facilitate the surgeon and Wellstar Health System staff as to equipment usage only. Wellstar Health System staff assumes responsibility for all aspects of patient care.

Code of Conduct

Wellstar has adopted this Code of Conduct as a demonstration of our unwavering commitment to honor all laws and regulations that govern the healthcare industry. The elements of this Code of Conduct include our Vision, Mission, Credo, Basic Principles of Conduct, Standards of Service Excellence, and Standards of Professional and Business Conduct and are incorporated into Wellstar’s Corporate Compliance Program. This Code of Conduct serves to enhance and continually develop a culture that values compliance from the top-down and fosters compliance from the bottom-up throughout Wellstar and among all workforce members.

This Code of Conduct is designed to provide overall guidance; however, it is not possible to address every situation. Guidance that is more specific may be provided in Wellstar’s Policies and Procedures. If there is no specific policy, this Code of Conduct becomes the policy. If a policy and a Code of Conduct provision conflict, the policy governs. This Code of Conduct is a “living document” meaning that it will be updated periodically to respond to changing conditions.

Learn more about the Wellstar Code of Conduct