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Jason Hartsell, Vice President of OperationsImagine having a laundry service partner that not only manages a hospital’s linen supply but also helps it use the right amount and spend less.
United Hospital Services (UHS) delivers on both priorities for hospitals across Indiana and Illinois, helping them reduce unnecessary linen consumption without compromising patient care.
The incentive to prioritize those savings is built into its ownership structure. UHS operates as a cooperative in which member hospital systems are both customers and owners. Executives from member hospitals sit on its board, giving healthcare providers a direct voice in how services respond to changing operational and financial needs. Rather than directing economic benefits to outside shareholders, the cooperative returns value to member hospitals through reliable linen services, cost management and operational support.
“We really think that the linen provider should bring more to the table than just clean linen,” says Jason Hartsell, vice president of operations.
A hospital can receive clean linen on schedule and still overspend if its teams use, distribute or discard too much linen. Rather than simply processing more laundry, UHS advises member hospitals to reduce excessive usage. Its staff conduct utilization reviews, benchmark consumption against other facilities and identify avoidable loss. Experience across roughly 75 to 80 linen rooms gives UHS insight into distribution methods and where excess usage occurs. When consumption exceeds that of comparable hospitals, UHS works with staff to determine appropriate levels. The objective is to use the correct amount without depriving clinical teams of linen needed for patient care.
UHS also provides education, linen awareness days and support for linen committees at no additional cost, helping hospitals reduce waste and manage supplies consistently.
Simplifying Supply Without Limiting Choice
UHS purchases linen for its rental program, removing the need for hospitals to buy textiles themselves. Cooperative members establish quality expectations for standardized linen, eliminating separate purchasing decisions over premium sheets or heavier blankets. The arrangement also challenges the assumption that more expensive linen necessarily improves patient satisfaction scores.
Departments retain flexibility within the standardized product range, which matters when operating rooms have different procedures and surgeon preferences. Hospitals can select available scrub colors and customize operating room packs to suit surgical requirements, including towel quantities and gown specifications. Standardized linen simplifies purchasing, while customizable scrub options and operating-room packs allow hospitals to meet their specific clinical needs.
Building Reliability into Every Load
Clean linen must meet healthcare hygiene expectations. UHS holds Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification from the Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA), requiring compliance with specified processing and quality-control practices. Its facility and procedures undergo inspection every three years, while linen samples undergo independent laboratory testing quarterly. Together, these checks provide evidence that processing meets the certification’s hygienic cleanliness requirements.
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We really think that the linen provider should bring more to the table than just clean linen.
UHS’s established reusable-gown program also supported hospitals during COVID-19 supply disruptions in 2020 and 2021. Customers already relied predominantly on reusable isolation gowns, enabling the cooperative to maintain supply without depending on a new disposable garment for every use. UHS says each gown can be used 75 to 100 times before disposal. It also cites peer-reviewed, cradle-to-grave life-cycle assessments showing environmental advantages for reusable gowns over disposable alternatives.
Looking Beyond the First Contract
UHS’s Hammond, Indiana, facility, which opened in December 2022, has extended its reach into northern Indiana and Chicago while creating opportunities across northern and central Illinois.
It encourages hospital executives to evaluate the long-term economics of a laundry arrangement rather than its first contract price. Pricing stability, service continuity and operational expertise affect the relationship’s value as hospital needs evolve. A low introductory price offers little reassurance if each renewal forces a hospital to reconsider its provider. For facilities facing frequent provider changes at renewal, continuity can reduce disruption. Most UHS hospital relationships have lasted decades, with a few reaching 60 years.
By keeping the economic interests of member hospitals central to its services, UHS demonstrates the hospital-focused value behind its recognition in MedTech Business Review’s Top Hospital Laundry Services 2026.
The Analysis of Hospital Laundry Services Outside Contract Rates
While a hospital can obtain a good laundry contract, the cost of linen will rise because more linen is going through the hospital than is needed for patient care. Overconsumption and inefficient distribution will lead to increased costs, regardless of any changes in the per-pound rate. In other words, hospital executives should take into account the way linen utilization is handled by the providers of this service.
The hygienic processing will define how any laundry for healthcare services company operates. The patient linens and the reusable medical textiles undergo processing within areas where poor handling can generate contamination risks. The purchasers will look at the standards used within washing processes and the evidence of compliance. Independent certification serves as an avenue to validate the established process, especially when there are inspections of facilities and laboratory tests conducted. Certification will not explain how the laundry maintains consistency across assessments. Quality control measures and remediation practices should be included in the discussion.
Ownership of linen will affect the purchase and workload. Those hospitals that own their own linen will have to manage the cost associated with replacing it as they wear or gets lost. Those who decide to rent will allow the provider to handle purchasing, but the contracts need to clearly outline the conditions for replacement and the charges to be applied. The standardized linen will help in the management of the inventory in all facilities without neglecting the clinical needs.
“United Hospital Services employs benchmarking and linen usage analysis to assist their hospitals in recognizing over-consumption and avoiding unnecessary costs while retaining clinical needs.”
Reusables raise another economic consideration. The disposable isolation gown eliminates the need for any laundering but creates ongoing purchasing needs and waste on a regular basis. The reusable product will incur collection and processing fees but, through the act of being used many times, it can affect the cost of having sufficient quantities. The purchase of such products should be done considering not just the price paid per garment but the replacement rate and full life cycle costs. This consideration is most important when there is an increase in clinical demand beyond expectations and the supply of disposable materials becomes scarce.
The distribution within the hospital environment can undo any efficient system of laundry. Stocking excess linen in rooms may lead to unnecessary use, and a poorly planned replenishment system can cause departments to run out of necessary materials. Providers' knowledge of the hospital's pattern may assist in identifying any unusual consumption. This kind of service will help educate clinical staff to improve consistency of use. These services are especially useful in multi-facility systems with different distribution methods.
Contract renewals provide the long-term view. An initially good deal may lose its appeal if further price increases or changes in providers create additional costs for the hospital. Ownership and governance arrangements can also influence whose financial interests guide service decisions.
United Hospital Services is an owner-managed cooperative which offers linen rentals and laundry services. The company’s hospitals are represented on the board to provide participation in governance, while the use of standardized textiles makes it easy for them to order their linen. United Hospital Services uses benchmarking and linen utilization analysis to help hospitals determine when they are overconsuming and save on costs without affecting their clinical needs. Some of its services include customized OR packs and reusable isolation gowns. It is certified by TRSA Hygienically Clean and its Hammond, Indiana facility offers services closer to the Chicago and Illinois regions.
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