Driving Accounts Payable Efficiency for a Leading Regional Hospital

Driving Accounts Payable Efficiency for a Leading Regional Hospital

The client is a large, well-established regional hospital with multiple departments and care units. As a high-volume healthcare provider, the hospital processes hundreds of invoices every month for vendors ranging from pharmaceutical suppliers to utility providers. Their finance team was struggling to keep up with daily invoice volumes while maintaining accuracy and compliance.

Challenges Faced by the Client

1. Overwhelmed AP Team

• The hospital’s in-house team was overloaded with high volumes of vendor invoices. 
• Manual invoice intake, indexing, and processing created delays in payment cycles. 
• Staff burnout and turnover in the finance department made it difficult to maintain consistent AP workflows. 
• Frequent staff turnover caused recurring backlogs that disrupted payment cycles. 

2. Delayed Vendor Payments

• Late or missed payments disrupted vendor relationships and service continuity. 
• Inaccurate invoice processing impacted monthly reconciliation and cash flow management. 

3. System Integration and Workflow Friction

• Their COUPA rollout was not implemented effectively and created inefficiencies. 
• Blanket and service POs required manual workarounds. 

Why the Client Partnered with ARDEM

• Scalable Accounts Payable Outsourcing: The hospital needed a trusted partner to handle a significant volume of AP work reliably. 
• Expertise in Healthcare AP Services: ARDEM’s experience in healthcare finance made us an ideal fit. 
• Streamlined Transition: The client was looking to assess and outsource a disorganized AP process with minimal disruption. 
• Operational Flexibility and Integration: ARDEM’s ability to adapt to existing platform COUPA, offered a smoother transition. 

How ARDEM Solved These Challenges

1. Structured AP Invoice Processing

• ARDEM established a dedicated AP outsourcing team, initially with 2 analysts, which later expanded to a 4 FTE team as the scope of work grew. 
• The team handled day-to-day AP tasks including invoice processing and backlog clearing. 
• Invoices were received via secure channels, indexed, and validated with dual-entry and QC checks. 
• ARDEM processed approximately 1,600 invoices per week, ensuring high-volume continuity with quality. 

2. Cleared Historical Backlogs

• ARDEM addressed backlog issues created by frequent internal staff turnover. 
• With consistent processing and dedicated resources, the AP pipeline was stabilized. 

3. System-Friendly Output

• ARDEM delivered structured outputs compatible with the client’s existing systems. 
• Ensured that processed invoices aligned with internal workflows to reduce errors during downstream payment cycles. 

How the Client Benefited from ARDEM’s AP Outsourcing Services

✅ Improved AP Accuracy Vendor invoices were validated and routed with increased precision, minimizing disputes and rework. 

✅ Faster Processing Turnaround With ARDEM’s 24-hour processing cycle, vendor payments could be released more reliably. 

✅ Reduced Internal Load AP tasks were offloaded from internal teams, helping them focus on managing cash flow and reconciliation. 

✅ Better Use of Existing Systems Despite COUPA integration challenges, ARDEM optimized file formatting and workflows for smoother use. 

✅ Scalable Support for Growth As invoice volumes increased, ARDEM scaled its team without compromising turnaround or compliance. 

ARDEM is proud to help hospitals modernize and simplify their accounts payable operations. Our flexible, healthcare-aware AP outsourcing solutions reduce costs, improve accuracy, and create breathing room for internal finance teams.