What This Article Covers
This article applies when a supplier submits an invoice for an amount higher than what is reflected on the Helia Purchase Order (PO) — and your team needs guidance on how to handle payment.
Why the Helia PO Is Your Payment Authority
Every order in Helia is reviewed and approved by both your health system and the supplier before it's finalized. The approved PO reflects that agreed pricing — including items priced under your health system's off-contract (NOC) policy, which may be $0.00 or another policy-defined amount. Orders should be paid based on the approved PO, not a supplier's invoice if the two differ.
An important distinction — Helia enforces your policies, not ours
Your health system's pricing and NOC rules existed before Helia. Helia's role is to apply them consistently at the point of submission, flagging off-contract items and preventing non-compliant orders from moving forward. If a supplier receives less than they invoiced, it's because your existing policy was applied — just enforced earlier in the process than before.
What To Do When a Supplier Invoices Above the PO
Confirm the approved price in Helia. Locate the Delivery Order (DO) and verify the item price as it appears on the PO. This is your source of truth.
Pay the amount reflected on the Helia PO. The PO reflects pricing that was agreed upon and approved by both parties before the order was processed. That is the correct and complete payment amount — not a reduced one.
Notify the supplier that payment will be made based on the approved Helia PO amount. Helia does not communicate payment decisions to suppliers on your behalf. It is your health system's responsibility to inform the supplier that the item was submitted as off-contract, that payment will be made per your health system's NOC policy, and that the Helia PO is the payment basis.
When communicating with the supplier, your team can reinforce your health system's policy and use it as an opportunity to educate the supplier on the benefit of getting the item added to contract. Items that are formally on contract are priced consistently every time — eliminating the back-and-forth that comes with off-contract submissions. If this is a recurring item, encouraging the supplier to work with your contracting team to get it added to your agreement is the most effective long-term resolution for both sides.
This is the same process your team would have followed before Helia — whoever handled PO-to-invoice discrepancies or vendor payment communications prior to Helia is the right owner for this step.
What Helia's Role Is
Helia verifies pricing is agreed upon by both parties before approval. Once a PO is issued, it governs the transaction — Helia isn't involved in billing conversations between your health system and the supplier after that point.
If you believe the price in Helia doesn't match your contract, that's a separate issue. Submit a ticket with the DO number and the expected pricing, and our team will investigate.
Still need help? Click the chat icon in the bottom right corner to submit a ticket.