23.04.2025
University Hospital Basel has opted to receive electronic invoices from its providers. In an interview about B2B e-invoicing, Head of Accounts Payable Etienne Barriopedro explains how the hospital got its providers on board with electronic invoicing.
Sustainable and efficient: with the B2B e-invoice, companies receive invoices electronically and process them directly in their software.
University Hospital Basel is one of Switzerland’s leading medical centers and one of the biggest employers in the north-west of Switzerland. Around 8,000 employees from 84 different countries take care of the medical needs of over one million people. Established and efficient processes are important to guaranteeing quality for patients and employees – and not just in the wards, operating theatres or for medical research. Finances also require good workflows. The B2B e-invoice is an example of this.
Etienne Barriopedro is Head of Accounts Payable at University Hospital Basel.
University Hospital Basel introduced B2B e-invoicing for providers in 2004, with the aim of harnessing the potential of IT systematically and profitably. Etienne Barriopedro is Head of Accounts Payable at University Hospital Basel and explains in this interview why it’s so important to integrate providers and how the hospital is taking on this challenge.
We introduced B2B e-invoicing for our providers in small steps, not in one fell swoop. We integrated our highest-volume providers first so that we could quickly make the most of the benefits that e-invoicing provides. It was also important to ensure the quality of provider invoices, particularly when it came to entering the order numbers correctly or avoiding partial invoices.
We consistently require our providers to use B2B e-invoicing and have adapted our tendering conditions and general terms and conditions accordingly. E-invoicing is therefore a part of the contractual relationship. We inform our providers of the benefits that e-invoicing offers: an e-invoice cannot be mislaid or lost, and the invoice status can be checked and traced at any time. Our aim is to process 80 percent of all order-related provider invoices as B2B e-invoicing. Currently, we’re at around 65 percent.
A central office with an overview of purchasing and accounts is carrying out this task. This office is responsible for keeping in touch with the providers, setting up contact between them and PostFinance as an e-invoice provider and supporting them closely during testing. In turn, overall responsibility for integrating providers lies with the Head of Accounts Payable, who follows the clearly defined goals set by our Head of Finance.
At the moment, we’re integrating providers based on the number of invoices. We’re also integrating providers that already have an interface with another hospital or company. Alternatively, we explicitly ask providers how feasible it is to switch to B2B e-invoicing. PostFinance’s round tables are an important platform to find providers for whom B2B e-invoicing is a possibility. This is where we talk to representatives from the same sector about networking opportunities between hospitals and providers.
We outline our concerns in our cover letter and request that providers contact PostFinance. PostFinance has a technical support department that can help providers to implement the interface. After testing, we take the lead on handling test cases until go-live.
This depends mainly on whether suppliers complete records with the necessary information, such as order number, delivery note number, VAT rates etc.
A simple and effective onboarding process for the suppliers is the key to success. Initially, we had a checklist to help us get the required information from suppliers and ensure that we did not miss any important points. This process is now so well integrated that we no longer need the checklist. Onboarding has taken a great deal of effort, but it’s been worth it. Continued communication and motivation from all stakeholders has also been very important. A roadmap showing the status for each provider and their volumes is very helpful with this process.
We use fewer materials, because we save on letter paper and envelopes. We also reduce the need for internal and external transport links, scanning and validation. We benefit from more optimized processes, as we can log invoices directly into our ERP system without any media disruptions. Turnaround time is significantly improved, as previous work stages such as internal transport of invoices or opening, scanning and validating paper or e-mail invoices are no longer necessary. Also affected is provider satisfaction. Thanks to quicker processing times, providers receive their money faster, and invoices can no longer go missing.
Today’s market-established ERP solutions generally have an interface for B2B e-invoicing as standard. However, parameters must be set individually in each case. As a result, integration isn’t usually an issue system-side. An important requirement, however, is that the company must have a functioning billing workflow that can be digitized.
To ensure that we could benefit from automation to the greatest extent possible, we increased the number of order-related invoices ahead of time.
Our Procurement, Accounts and IT departments, as well as PostFinance, were all involved and cooperated constructively with clearly defined responsibilities.
Read our whitepaper to find out about the benefits that digital invoice receipt provides for your business.
Want to know more about digitization and other relevant topics in business? Subscribe to our business newsletter now.
