Purchasing Card Guidelines: UW and UW Health

Not sure which card or funding to use for a specific expense? Contact your Division Administrator or divisional finance staff to confirm BEFORE purchasing.

Expenses paid on the wrong card will need to be reversed.

If you have questions regarding UW purchasing policies, email [email protected].

• Both UW Health and UW–Madison purchases are tax-exempt. The relevant tax-exempt number is printed on your card for reference.
• UW Health uses corporate cards and UW Madison uses Purchasing Cards (p-cards). Both are provided by US Bank but use different logins and cycle/allocation time frames; UW Health cards run on a monthly statement cycle while UW–Madison cards run on an ongoing basis.
• Note: DOM requires that all tech-related items—including computers, hardware, software, peripherals, etc.—be purchased through SMPH IT Support. These items are NOT allowable on an individual's card.
• Use business credit cards whenever possible for allowable purchases rather than requesting a reimbursement.
• All card holders and site managers/approving managers need to have a backup system in place for expected and unexpected absences. Funding allocation deadlines are strict and cannot be extended due to absence.
• If you are using professional funds, follow UW Health guidelines. If you are using grant funding, follow UW–Madison guidelines.
• UW purchasing cards (p-cards) may NOT be used to pay for UW Health expenses. UW Health corporate cards may NOT be used to pay for UW–Madison expenses.

UW Health Corporate credit cards are intended to be used for business-related expenses such as travel, registration for conferences, memberships, dues, flowers, and catering. All purchases must comply with UW Health's purchasing and accounting policies and procedures.

Definitions:

• UW Health Purchase Card (P-Card): This type of card may be used for registration of employees for seminars/conferences, subscriptions, external catering or food, memberships and dues.
• UW Health Corporate Card: In addition to the above business-related expenses, this type of card may also be used for travel (airfare), entertainment and supplies. All DOM cards from UW Health are Corporate Cards.

The policy above includes information for both UW Health Corporate Cards and Purchasing Cards. Please note that the information for Corporate Cards is applicable to Department of Medicine cardholders. Academic Departments, such as Medicine, are allowed some exceptions—specifically that travel expenses are allowable. 

UW Health Corporate Card Contact: Amanda Koehn, an accounting employee who is approved to audit all Department of Medicine (DOM) Corporate Cards, verifies coding, routes for division approval and is the liaison between the Department and UW Health (UWH) finance staff.

Obtaining a UW Health Credit Card

Designated employees will be granted Corporate Credit Cards and may use their Card for business-related expenses including travel, entertainment and supplies. This is based on the employee’s role and the specific business-related need; each request requires review. Please contact your Division Administrator and Mickie Dickrell for approval.

Making Purchases - Allowable Transactions

• For repetitive purchases from the same supplier over the course of a year, it may be preferred to set up a PO for payment. Check with your divisional finance staff for guidance.
• If your purchase follows UW Health policy, use the card for direct payment to the vendor rather than requesting reimbursement.
• Please note: Using the credit card for non-business purchases is the equivalent of submitting a false invoice to Accounts Payable for payment. Failure to adhere to this policy may lead to revocation of the card, disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.
• UWHC has Tax Exempt status - please provide the tax ID at checkout (the tax exempt ID is printed on your card). If you often order from the same vendor, ask them to add the tax exempt status to your account or profile so that it's always on file for your purchases.

Cardholders: Documenting Transactions in US Bank or Oracle

Corporate Card Holder: DOM employee who has been approved for and is responsible for a UW Health Corporate Credit Card and all transactions. 

SMPH employees: your UW Health credit card is managed by US Bank.

UW Health employees: your charges are located in Oracle.

Cardholders must record he following information for each transaction: 

• The business purpose of the expense (for meals or other group events, also include the participant names and their relationship to UWH)
• Attach all receipts electronically within the appropriate systems as noted above. 

You should review and update charges as soon as possible after they occur.  The Card Coordinator must receive accurate information about purchases as quickly as possible since all charges need to be reviewed and approved by the 4th business day of each month.

Approving Managers: Approving Charges in US Bank

Approving Manager: DOM Operations Accountant who must provide final approval of all charges.

It is your responsibility to notify DOM finance if your cardholder terminates employment.

Handling Disputes, Lost Cards, and Fraud

If you do not recognize a transaction on your card and need to file a dispute, contact US Bank right away.

If your card has been stolen, or you suspect fraud, contact [email protected] and Amanda Koehn.