Vizient Reserve Program Expands Supply Assurance to Include IV Fluids in Collaboration With Baxter

IRVING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vizient^® announced today the expansion of the Vizient Reserve Program to include IV fluids through a strategic partnership with Baxter, a leading global medtech company, to help ensure reliable access to these critical products during times of supply disruption. The program provides participating healthcare organizations with dedicated, on-demand manufacturer inventory, warehoused in the U.S., along with comprehensive support to help safeguard continuity of care.

The expansion of Vizient Reserve to include IV fluids reflects a strategic collaboration with Baxter to improve supply assurance within the healthcare supply chain and comes less than a year after Hurricane Helene hit the east coast, temporarily disrupting supply of this critical product. IV fluids—a uniquely complex category due to their essential nature, high utilization, and complex manufacturing requirements—are foundational to patient care.

While Baxter’s U.S. IV fluids production levels have been restored since the hurricane, the partnership between Vizient and Baxter reflects a deliberate, long-term strategy to promote resiliency and help healthcare providers prepare for and manage the pressures that natural disasters and increased demand have put on the supply of this critical healthcare category.

“IV fluids are among the most relied upon therapies in healthcare. We’ve created a scalable, cost-effective reserve model that enhances resiliency and transparency across the supply chain,” said Dan Kistner, senior vice president and general manager, category management & strategic programs, Vizient. “This approach builds on the success of our NES Reserve program in the pharmaceutical space, further demonstrating how Vizient is rethinking traditional sourcing strategies with proactive, purpose-built solutions designed to mitigate supply disruptions and ensure continuity of care.”

With comprehensive inventory management, transparent reporting and dedicated logistics, the program offers a flexible structure to enable access during supply disruptions and support continuity of care.

“At Baxter, we are actively committed to supporting hospitals and health systems navigate any threat to supply continuity,” said Cecilia Soriano, global president of Baxter’s infusion therapies and technologies business. “Baxter and Vizient's shared commitment to enabling access to life-sustaining therapies is at the heart of this initiative, and we’re honored to support Vizient clients in their efforts to build greater supply resilience.”

The new program builds on the success of Vizient Novaplus Enhanced Supply (NES) Reserve, which provides up to six months of additional dedicated manufacturer inventory for essential medications, and expands the breadth of products available through it—including the first-ever medical-surgery product codes. Since its inception, NES Reserve has fulfilled more than 45,000 requests from over 1,700 facilities, totaling more than 5 million additional units of essential medications.

Learn more about IV fluids in the Vizient Reserve Program.

About Vizient, Inc.

Vizient, Inc., the nation’s largest provider-driven healthcare performance improvement company, serves more than 65% of the nation’s acute care providers, including 97% of the nation’s academic medical centers, and more than 35% of the non-acute market. The Vizient contract portfolio represents $140 billion in annual purchasing volume enabling the delivery of cost-effective, high-value care. With its acquisition of Kaufman Hall in 2024, Vizient expanded its advisory services to help providers achieve financial, strategic, clinical and operational excellence. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Vizient has offices throughout the United States. Learn more at www.vizientinc.com.