New GHX eInvoicing Solution for Healthcare Providers and Suppliers

LOUISVILLE, Colo., May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthcare suppliers and providers can now help eliminate the costs and labor associated with paper invoices with the new GHX eInvoicing solution. This solution enables suppliers to send electronic invoices to their customers, removing manual processes currently used by provider organizations without electronic data interchange (EDI) capabilities.

With GHX eInvoicing, electronic invoices are delivered as both PDF files to an online portal and as EDI documents for organizations able to process EDI invoices. Non-EDI customers receive an email notifying them that an invoice has been posted to the portal and can be viewed and/or retrieved. The new solution allows suppliers to streamline accounts receivable processes, reduce outbound collection calls and inbound invoice inquiries and lower days sales outstanding (DSOs). For providers, the solution reduces the amount of time and effort required to receive and process invoices, while creating greater visibility to invoices, shipment status and payment date information.

Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc. (JJHCS) served as a pilot site for the development of the GHX eInvoicing service. For JJHCS, this solution helped improve customer satisfaction while improving processing efficiencies.

"Our customers have been extremely receptive to GHX eInvoicing because the service saves time and cuts costs for them," said Sue Wetzel, vice president, U.S. Medical Devices & Diagnostics Customer Experience, Customer and Logistics Services for JJHCS. "With online visibility to real-time invoice and shipment status, customers don't waste time waiting on mailed and internally-routed invoices or placing calls to our Accounts Receivable department. On our side, we've significantly reduced the volume of mailed invoices and the time our AR representatives spend on the phone trying to resolve invoicing issues. It's a win-win situation all around."

With GHX eInvoicing, the Johnson & Johnson Family of Medical Devices & Diagnostics Companies delivers electronic invoices to its customers via an online portal. The provider-facing portal enables JJHCS customers to view both open and closed invoices and alerts them to invoices that are past due. The supplier-facing portal provides JJHCS with visibility into invoice status, including which invoices have been downloaded, by whom and when. Both provider and supplier-facing portals provide access to carrier proof of delivery information.

"Suppliers want a solution that can help them automate paper invoices because manual invoice processing is a tremendous labor and cost burden on their organizations and the providers that they serve," said Derek Smith, executive vice president, Marketing and Product Management, GHX. "The feedback that we received from JJHCS and its customers was invaluable in the development of a solution that improves operational efficiency and financial performance on both sides of the healthcare supply chain."

Attendees of the 2012 GHX Healthcare Supply Chain Summit, taking place May 7-9, 2012, in Orlando, Florida, will have the first opportunity to see the new GHX eInvoicing service prior to its general availability in June 2012. To view the Summit agenda or to register, visit www.ghx.com/supplychainsummit.

About GHX
Global Healthcare Exchange, LLC (GHX), a healthcare technology and services company, helps reduce the cost of doing business in healthcare by enabling better supply chain management. GHX makes it easier for hospitals, other healthcare providers and the suppliers that do business with them to drive cost and inefficiency out of their processes. Working with GHX, the healthcare organizations that make up the GHX Global Network are on track to save $5 billion by 2014—savings that can be invested in such things as hiring more nurses, providing care to uninsured children or developing new medical products. GHX is owned by organizations on both the buy and sell side of the healthcare supply chain, including some of the largest companies in the world. Find GHX on the Web, on Twitter @GHX_LLC and on Facebook @GHX.

SOURCE GHX