The Power of Network

Semi-automated bill-only solutions speed up the path to reconciliation. But reconciliation is the symptom, not the problem. The only way to actually solve bill-only is to validate both sides before the order is placed. That is what Helia's platform does and why 500+ suppliers and distributors are already transacting on it.

Why the bill-only problem persists

About 50% of a hospital’s supply chain expenditures are paid after the product has been used. Sales reps walk devices into operating rooms for joint replacements, pacemakers, and other implant procedures. The hospital pays afterward.

The reason the transaction fails is misalignment. There is no alignment between supplier and hospital about price, terms, and product at the moment the device is delivered. The process of documenting usage, generating purchase orders, billing, invoicing, and reconciling — all after the case has closed — creates errors, delays, and costs on both sides.

Semi-automated bill-only solutions reduce some manual steps. But the fundamental problem remains: both sides of the transaction are not aligned before the order is placed. Catching errors faster is not the same as preventing them.

Prevention, not reconciliation

There are two approaches to the bill-only alignment problem.

The first: let the misalignment happen and reconcile every step of the transaction process — involving multiple encounters between departments at both the hospital and the supplier. This process can be partially automated, but the errors keep coming because the root cause is never addressed.

The second: stop the problem from ever happening by creating alignment between buyer and seller, between the hospital and the supplier, before the order is placed.

Helia validates contracts and pricing on both sides simultaneously, before the PO is ever created. When both sides agree before the order is placed, the transaction is clean from the start.

The network that makes it work

Helia’s platform works because both sides of the transaction are already there. 500+ suppliers and distributors are already transacting on Helia, with 10,000+ contracts aligned. For health systems, that means the majority of their supplier base can be live on day one — no onboarding lag, no ramp period.

Suppliers join Helia because the transaction is better on both sides. The same validated order that eliminates reconciliation for health systems also means same-day invoices for suppliers and a two-minute workflow for reps. As the network grows, the value compounds.