CHI Connect Financial Systems and Accounts Payable FAQ Frequently Asked Questions. 1. How will departments access their financial data each month?

Transcription

1 CHI Connect Financial Systems and Accounts Payable FAQ Frequently Asked Questions 1. How will departments access their financial data each month? Departments will have online access to a variety of useful reports detailing their financial data. Managers will receive training on how to access and interpret the reports. 2. Will we be able to add new accounts or accounting units (cost centers)? The new system has a standardized master chart of accounts and cost centers. A process is in place for adding accounts and cost centers. You may request new accounts and cost centers. However, only the designated personnel in the national finance office will be allowed to create the accounts and cost centers in the system and only after ensuring the requests fall within standards. 3. Where will invoices be routed for payment? Vendors will send invoices to the Accounts Payable Support Center (APSC). They will be required to include the requestor s CHI Active Directory address on the invoice. At the APSC, non-po invoices are scanned, indexed, and pre-processed within 5-8 business days of receipt. At that time, employees with appropriate access will be able to view invoices online through the Basware system. Invoices submitted via Basware e-invoicing, Basware Virtual Printer, or Basware Vendor Portal will immediately enter the AP workflow and be immediately visible by both the vendor and employees with appropriate access. Basware will automatically route the non-po invoice to the requestor to code and approve. The invoice will automatically flow up the HR approval hierarchy until the appropriate approval threshold is met. 4. How will non-purchase order invoices be approved and coded? Approval and coding for non-purchase order invoices will be completed in Basware. An notice will automatically be sent to the appropriate person when there are invoices pending coding or approval. The invoices then will be released and will be available for payment based on the vendor s terms. Updated May 21,

2 5. How should a vendor follow up on the status of an invoice? Non-PO vendors should check status of an invoice through their portal. Each vendor has a unique portal with a secure login and password. If a vendor has problems logging in, they should contact Basware. CHI is currently communicating this information to vendors. 6. Will the system be able to provide historical invoice data? Yes, the system will provide an archive of paid invoices for an employee s department from July 1, 2015 and forward. Any previous invoices paid out of the legacy system will need to be accessed with the assistance of local finance. 7. What is the process if a special check is needed quickly? A check request may only be used when there is no invoice available. After the end user creates the check request within Basware, Basware will automatically route the invoice for approval of the actual expenditure. Check requests will be processed based on the APSC processing schedule for that vendor, and payment will be made based on the vendor terms for the payee. Demand (emergency) payments are performed only on an exception basis. Once created and coded, the demand will be automatically routed through the HR hierarchy until the appropriate approval level is reached. Because the process is expensive, it is imperative that it be used only for true emergencies. The Demand must be created in Basware and coded and approved no later than noon Mountain Time for same day processing. Physician Demands are performed only for Physician Contract Payments and follow a similar process as a demand. 8. How will invoices and purchase orders be available to review? Managers will be able to look up invoices and purchase orders (from July 1, 2015 and forward) online at any time by going to the transaction and viewing a copy of the actual invoice or purchase order. Specific access is needed to view this information. 9. Will multiple bills from one vendor a law firm, for example be paid on one check? Yes, we will consolidate all payments to the same vendor. Updated May 21,

3 10. If all invoices go to the central Accounts Payable Support Center, how will staff know who the invoice is for? Vendors will receive a letter requesting that they include information on their invoices to indicate the purchase order number or reference person s address who ordered the non-purchase order item or service. Invoices with a purchase order number will be processed by matching the invoice with purchase order information. Non-purchase order invoices will be routed for approval according to the information provided by the vendor. If the invoice does not include the appropriate information, the Accounts Payable Support Center will call the vendor or person who placed the order for clarification. Over time, a list will be developed to assist with the sorting process. 11. Who will notify vendors that invoices need to go to the Accounts Payable Support Center (APSC)? If we keep getting invoices from the vendors, do we notify the vendor or the APSC? CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs Finance staff will work with the APSC to send a letter to all vendors about the changes. Invoices sent directly to departments after July 1, 2015 should be forwarded to the APSC, and the departments should remind the vendor of the change of address. 12. Will we be trained on the new invoice system? Employees who handle invoices will be trained on the new invoice processes. Basware is the tool that allows departments to review and approve invoices. 13. If invoices are processed as received, what will be done about priority due dates? CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs will be given the opportunity to provide a list of time-sensitive, preapproved invoices, such as utility and telephone invoices. These invoices will be coded by the Accounts Payable Support Center and processed when they arrive, rather than being routed for approval. Reconciliation, if needed, will occur in the following month. All other bills will be paid based on the vendor s individual payment schedule. Typically, national vendors will be paid within 45 days and local vendors will be paid within 30 days of the date the invoice arrives at the Accounts Payable Support Center. To avoid late payments, all approved non-purchase order invoices will be processed within an average of two business days of receipt of the coded and approved invoice, and all purchase order invoices will be processed within an average of four business days of receipt of the invoice. Updated May 21,

4 14. Will all the cost center (department numbers) codes change? Yes, a standard format for cost center codes (department numbers) is used across Catholic Health Initiatives. Cost centers are called accounting units. The national finance team will work with CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs finance staff to create a translation table or crosswalk to take you from the current codes to the new accounting codes. This will be part of the training and available online. 15. Can coding be split between two cost centers? How will that be approved? Yes, coding can be split between cost centers (accounting units). There are processes in place to facilitate approval by multiple managers. The approval will route through the department that placed the order. Accounting reports will show what items were coded by department. 16. Can I find out what my department has spent with a specific vendor? Local finance will be able to assist with analyzing department spend and reporting. 17. Will CHI St. Vincent Hot Spring s expense report policy be changing? Yes, the expense report policy will change to be consistent with other Catholic Health Initiatives facilities. However, if local requirements also remain, the expense report approver has the authority to reject the report or request more information before the Accounts Payable Support Center s final approval stage. 18. Will we be able to create employee business expense reports for other people? Yes, you may create a proxy to designate another person to create an expense report for you. You will create the proxy online using the new online expense reporting tool. The proxy can then create the expense report, but the form must be reviewed and submitted by the person who incurred the expense. Electronic submission is the same as a signature. 19. How will expense reports be submitted? Expense reports will be created, submitted and approved online using the new web-based expense reporting tool. Below are some highlights of the process: The system has a built in policy-check function that warns you of potential errors prior to submitting an expense report, allowing you to modify the report on the spot rather than after it has been submitted. Submitted expense reports will automatically be routed to your supervisor for electronic approval. Once supervisor approval is received, the electronic expense report will be routed to the APSC where it will be final-approved and matched against the faxed receipts. Updated May 21,

5 The APSC will process the expense report for payment. Expense reimbursement for expenses not on the American Express corporate card will be issued by APSC and payment made either by direct deposit or check. With the new Concur system, the payment will be from Accounts Payable, separate from other payroll payments. Other features of the new process include: o The ability for you to self-monitor your expense report o Automated expense report approval status notifications for employees and managers o Automatic download of American Express corporate card transactions into an expense report template o Regular alerts reflecting American Express corporate card balances o Weekly notices when American Express corporate card transactions are available for expense report creation 20. What do we do with receipts that need to accompany employee business expense reports? Receipts will be uploaded through the electronic system and attached to the online report. Receipts will be available for approvers to review online. Paper receipts should be kept until reimbursement is received. 21. Will we need receipts for expenses that show up on the American Express corporate paid bill? Yes, Catholic Health Initiatives policy requires that all receipts be submitted for expenses that are $25 or more regardless of whether they are incurred on the corporate card or another way. Local facility travel policy may require receipts for lesser amounts. 22. How quickly will an expense report be in the system? What happens if you discover a mistake on an expense report you have already submitted? Expense reports will be in the system as soon as you submit them. You will learn in training how to make edits (or recall) expense reports even after they have been submitted. Edits can be made up to the time the Accounts Payable Support Center completes the final approval and submits the report for payment. 23. How will expense reports be approved? Expense reports will be approved online by the supervisor of the person who incurred the expenses. The supervisor will be notified by using electronic Concur notifications when a report is available for approval. Updated May 21,

6 24. How do we know an expense report has been approved? The Accounts Payable Support Center will send an approval notice to the person submitting the expense report. 25. What happens if something on the expense report is not approved? If something on the expense report is not approved, the entire report will be returned electronically to the person who submitted the expense report. The submitter will correct it and the expense report will go back through the approval route. 26. Will reimbursements be mailed or deposited directly to my bank account? Can we track reimbursement online? Expenses will be reimbursed separately from Accounts Payable via direct deposit or a separate check. This is a non-taxable item. The payment will be made in the same form as the paycheck is delivered. Updated May 21,