Convenience and resource savings. Time and money resources. That is what electronic invoicing offers. However, in the many articles in which we have talked about what surrounds this advance brought about by digital transformation, we have done so from a general point of view. Managers, financial controls, accounting... across the board. But what effects can e-invoicing have on the health sector? electronic invoicing in the healthcare sector? Now that this is one of the markets most affected by the pandemic, how can it affect it, is it regulated in any specific way, and can it have the same impact on the finances of a dentist as on those of a general practitioner in the private sector? Many questions with answers that we will try to provide you with in these lines.
Resolving doubts about electronic invoicing in healthcare
It is very likely that because of COVID-19, the medical sector is one of the sectors that has seen the greatest media and labour unrest in recent months. Not only that, but in this maelstrom it is also likely that shortcomings in the management of certain business processes have been detected.
If you are a manager in any company linked to the healthcare sector, you will have noticed that there are many areas for improvement. Procedures that, managed differently, could make your financial controls easier and more efficient, help you with your accounting, benefit you when it comes to electronic invoicing, or, for example, record and control or, for example, recording and controlling the employee expenses of your sales staff.
The reality is that there are still doubts about the issue of e-invoicing in health, as you can tell by looking at what kind of searches are being done on the Internet. So, managers of companies and businesses in the medical sector: here we try to provide answers to some of them.
What is electronic invoicing in health?
On a linguistic level, e-invoicing in healthcare means exactly the same as in construction, tourism or any other sector. In other words, an electronic invoice is the document that records the sale of a product or service, but with the exception that it is processed through IT solutions. Solutions such as easyap, which are proof of the innovation that has taken place and will continue to take place in the issuing of electronic invoices.
Electronic invoicing in the healthcare sector, therefore, will make it possible, as in other sectors, to keep digitalised control of the commercial operations being undertaken. Invoices are recorded in solutions such as easyap with their own characteristics (date of issue, receipt, storage, etc.), whether in the healthcare sector or any other.
What rules or laws regulate electronic invoicing in healthcare?
Along these lines, each country has its own legislation on e-invoicing. What is certain is that, at the institutional level, administrations are advocating a digital future. For this reason, it is now possible to manage all kinds of transactions 100% online with the vast majority of administrations. transactions of all kinds 100% online with the vast majority of national administrations. And it doesn't matter whether your company belongs to the health sector or any other.
Currently, in Spain, according to Law 25/2013, of 27 December, the following public entities or administrations are obliged to process electronic invoices for health or any other sector:
- The central, autonomous and local governments. Also included here are the Provincial Councils and the General Assemblies of the Historical Territories of the Basque Country.
- The Social Security.
- The public universities.
- Independent public law courtswhether they are autonomous or state courts.
- The competent bodies Congress, the Senate, the CGPJ (General Council of the Judiciary), the Court of Auditors, the Constitutional Court, the Ombudsman and the Autonomous Legislative Assemblies.
In other words, all political bodies of public power in Spain have the capacity to generate and process electronic invoices, whether with private or public companies in any sector.
How to manage the signature in electronic invoicing?
At the same time, many suppliers sometimes have doubts about one of the most important aspects of invoicing: the signature. In the case of online invoicing and invoicing with the public administration, it will be sufficient to use an an electronic signature certificate is sufficient. The easyap solution integrates the electronic signature for digital invoices, so you won't have any kind of problem in this regard and you can forget about any awkward procedures.
Advantages of e-Invoicing in the health sector
In Spain, where we combine private and public healthcare, the truth is that citizens have many of their basic needs covered. However, the industry goes much further and does not cover all types of medical services. Services that, if we want to enjoy them (for example, cosmetic operations or certain surgeries), we will have to pay for them. In these cases, online billing in healthcare plays a role.
Let's take an example to understand this: for a private aesthetic clinic that implants prostheses, it will have to deal with approved laboratories and factories for the plastics and other materials used in the prostheses. And something similar can happen with public hospitals. They also buy and sell specific and approved materials for implanting prostheses.
Well, in both cases, electronic invoicing is a real step forwardIt offers advantages such as those listed below:
- It allows you to keep a digital control of expenses and quantities..
- There is no risk of losing documents such as delivery notes, etc., as everything is recorded in the system.
- It offers numerous facilities for both sender and receiver when carrying out transactions.
- Administrative processes are administrative processes are managed more smoothly.
- It generates cost savings on materials such as paper and such as paper or printing in general, as well as in storage.
- It allows for better control of the traceability of the financial operations carried out. transactions.
Benefits that, above all, generate time and cost savings for many businesses in the health sector and many others. Furthermore, there is increasing security in all these procedures, thanks to protocols and systems such as the Peppol.
Electronic Invoicing in the Health Sector
Electronic invoicing in health, at the bottom of the list in Spain
However, it seems that many companies in the sector are not yet aware of these benefits. Or simply do not dare to apply them. Le-invoicing in healthcare accounted for only 0.12% of all only 0.12% of all digital invoices issued in Spain in 2020. The percentage improves only slightly if we talk about the receipt of electronic invoices in companies involved in healthcare activities. Specifically, it represents 0.38%.
The above figures show that the sector, which includes hospitals, outpatient clinics, dental clinics and pharmacies, still has a long way to go. Moreover, although the issuance of electronic invoices in the medical sector is growing compared to previous years, it is growing at a slower rate than in other sectors. rate lower than in other sectors. In 2018, e-invoices issued by companies in the healthcare world accounted for 0.36% of the total, whereas, as mentioned above, in 2020 it accounted for only 0.12% of the total. 0.12%.
However, if we continue to look at the same study, other major sectors in our country are already on the road to a more agile and convenient digital future. In fact, at a general level, the total volume of e-invoices issued in Spain in 2020 did grow. The total number of e-invoices issued in our country was 240,731,047, which is an increase of 16,60% compared to 2019. In turn, also in comparison with the previous year's data, 34,266,994 more were issued in Spain.
Why trust easyap for business invoicing?
In short, as we have seen in other articles, digital is the future and the present. It is already here, in organisations of all kinds and in public administrations. This article about the state of e-invoicing in healthcare is a perfect snapshot of how certain managers and, consequently, sectors are still reluctant to take a step forward.
A step that has already been taken, even by the institutions. Aware that the time and money savings are palpable, they are already legislating with regulations that advocate online invoicing in healthcare, construction and any other sector that wants it. Perhaps, if you are a manager or financial director, the handling and management of technology will put you off.
But that's what we, easyap, are here for. We have extensive experience in experience in finance and IT applied to a wide range of sectors: Distribution, banking, telecommunications, tourism... And in projects that have been carried out in various countries in Europe, America and Africa.
Solutions such as ours provide numerous benefits in e-invoicing for managers in any sector. in any sector. Above all, we are talking about time and cost savings in the long term, which are also advantages that can be applied to any sector and market. Many companies have already relied on our services and have not done badly. Don't you dare to contact us?
