A purchase order records what a provider intends to buy for a participant: the service, the rate, the quantity. The supplier's invoice records what was delivered. Under Support at Home the difference between the two matters, because the participant's budget is drawn down by what is claimed, and what is claimed should be what was delivered.
Where the drift comes from
The gap is rarely dramatic. A visit gets cancelled. A rate changes mid-month. A supplier bills two visits on one line. Each one is small, but the purchase order in the care platform still shows the planned figure, so the budget a care manager sees is a little wrong, and stays a little wrong until someone notices.
What Invoice Harbour does
When a supplier invoice arrives, each line is matched against the open purchase order lines for that participant and supplier. The best match is suggested, and any difference in date, quantity or rate is shown next to the invoice so the person reviewing can see it before they approve. The purchase order matching page shows the screen.
On publish, the actual figure is written back to the care platform against the purchase order, and the bill goes to the finance system to pay the supplier. The budget the care manager sees reflects what was delivered.
Nothing about the existing setup changes. Invoice Harbour connects to the care platform and finance system already in place.
