Royal Flying Doctor Service Fast-Tracks Payments with RapidAP – Case Study
Customer
Website
Scope of Work
- Accounts Payable Automation
- ERP Integration
- Digitisation of Paper Invoices
- Approval Workflow Management
- Audit Trail Implementation
- Remote Accessibility
- Future-Ready Transition
Industry
Location
Overview
The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS) is one of the world’s most respected aeromedical organisations, delivering essential primary health care and 24/7 emergency services to people living in rural and remote communities across Australia. With a vast national footprint and life-saving mission, RFDS depends on efficient operations to meet critical timelines—especially when it comes to paying for medical supplies and equipment.
Fast Facts
The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) has been delivering vital health care to Australians since 1928. Today, it stands as one of the most extensive aeromedical organisations in the world, servicing over 270,000 patients each year. Operating from 21 bases across the country, the organisation maintains a fleet of 60 aircraft equipped to handle emergency and primary care in some of the most remote regions of Australia.
With a central corporate office in Brisbane, RFDS runs a decentralised network that depends heavily on efficient operations to meet urgent medical demands. The organisation is supported by a combination of government funding and community donations, generating approximately $450 million in annual revenue. To manage its financial processes, RFDS uses the TechnologyOne ERP platform, which integrates directly with RapidAP to streamline accounts payable operations.
Key Services
Aeromedical Emergency Services: 24-hour air ambulance support across Australia.
Primary Health Care: Delivering GP, nursing, dental, and mental health services to remote communities.
Health Promotion & Outreach: Working with local communities to improve long-term health outcomes.
Community Engagement & Fundraising: Relies heavily on public donations to equip aircraft and fund services.
Opportunity
Before automation, RFDS relied heavily on manual, paper-based accounts payable processes, receiving 80% of invoices by post. With invoices travelling between remote locations, multi-step approvals often took up to two weeks, and documents were regularly misplaced or delayed. The Accounts Payable team at the Brisbane corporate office struggled to keep pace, creating unnecessary costs and risking payment delays for urgent medical supplies.
“Now, invoices are sent to various coders for approval based on the invoice’s code. Thanks to Efficiency Leaders’ solution, we’ve shortened this task from taking two weeks to a day!”
— Maree Quizon, Senior Accountant, Royal Flying Doctor Service
Client
Solution
To modernise its invoice handling, RFDS adopted RapidAP, the accounts payable automation module within the RapidP2P Suite. The solution enabled digitisation of paper invoices through scanning, while emailed invoices were processed automatically. Integration with TechnologyOne Financials ensured seamless transition from paper to digital workflows.
The RapidAP rollout delivered:
- Automated routing based on invoice coding.
- Instant notifications to speed up approvals.
- Centralised invoice tracking across 21 remote bases.
- Custom workflows to support multi-signature requirements.
RapidP2P Suite Modules Deployed:
RapidAP (Accounts Payable): Automates invoice processing, tracking, and approvals with speed and precision.
Outcomes Achieved
Since implementing the RapidAP module, RFDS has significantly increased operational efficiency without expanding its team. What began as a manual process handling 1,000 invoices per month has now scaled to over 4,000 monthly invoices—all managed by the same Accounts Payable team. This growth has been made possible by the automation and streamlined workflows delivered through RapidAP.
Approval turnaround times have dramatically improved, with some invoices that once took up to two weeks to approve now finalised within a single day. The system’s ability to intelligently route invoices to the right approvers has eliminated delays, particularly for multi-signature approvals involving remote teams.
The shift from paper-based processing to a digital, automated platform has also given RFDS full visibility into the invoice lifecycle. Every transaction is now supported by a complete audit trail, which enhances financial oversight and simplifies annual reviews. Remote teams benefit from real-time notifications and a centralised task list, ensuring that no invoice falls through the cracks—no matter how geographically spread out the team may be.
Ultimately, RapidAP has enabled RFDS to operate more efficiently, with greater control, faster turnaround, and improved compliance across all accounts payable activities.
Technologies
- ERP: TechnologyOne
- Automation Suite: RapidP2P – RapidAP (Accounts Payable)
- Document Digitisation: Manual scanning of paper-based invoices for automation
- Workflow Management: Customisable approval routing with instant notifications
- Audit Trail & Reporting: Full invoice lifecycle visibility and compliance tracking
Highlights
The Royal Flying Doctor Service successfully scaled its accounts payable operations, increasing invoice volume fourfold without needing to expand its team. Approval turnaround times have been reduced from two weeks to just one day, even for complex, multi-signature invoices. By digitising paper-based processes and centralising workflows across 21 remote bases, RFDS has achieved greater efficiency, visibility, and compliance.
The integration with TechnologyOne and the implementation of full audit trails have strengthened financial oversight. Now preparing to migrate to RapidAP’s SaaS version, RFDS is well-positioned to extend automation into vendor onboarding and broader procurement processes.
Why Royal Flying Doctor Service recommends RapidP2P
RFDS has seen tangible benefits since implementing RapidAP, from faster approvals and better visibility to supporting its critical, time-sensitive mission. The automation of once manual processes has allowed the team to focus more on strategic tasks and less on chasing paperwork. The upcoming move to RapidAP’s SaaS version will further empower RFDS to adapt and expand the platform’s capabilities as business needs evolve.
“We were looking to take the paper out of our process—it was becoming a nightmare. TechnologyOne recommended Efficiency Leaders, and it’s been great so far.”
— Maree Quizon, Senior Accountant
