As we reported earlier this week, a company called Coupa sent solicitation emails to providers, which bore the name and logo of Maximus, the private entity entrusted by California’s Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) to conduct Independent Bill Review (IBR).

We’re not exactly sure what Coupa offers, or of the exact nature of its relationship to Maximus (though a relationship appears to exist). Shortly after our previous article was published, a concerned provider reached out to report having followed the instructions in Coupa’s email:

I followed instructions and signed up. Once I did, I noticed it was strange and did not pertain to Maximus IBR stuff. I’m not sure what action to take next and afraid of fraud of some sort.”

We know only that Maximus has stated firmly that these Coupa emails did not originate with Maximus. Which begs the question: why is Maximus failing to explain its relationship with Coupa, especially considering that providers may incorrectly believe that failing to sign up with Coupa may adversely affect their right to pursue IBR?

Provider (Mistakenly) Joins Coupa

After following Coupa’s instructions and signing up, the provider received the confirmation below.

The provider also shared an image of Coupa’s online portal, which sheds very little light on what Coupa offers, or how it pertains to Maximus’ role in conducting IBR to resolve payment disputes.

So…what the heck is going on here?

An apparent job posting by Maximus on WayUp seeks to recruit applicants “...to work in the Procurement Vendor Management Department and assist with management of the Coupa P2P Platform.” When questioned by daisyBill, Maximus did not disavow any relationship with Coupa, stating only that the emails did not originate with Maximus.

One way or another, Coupa believes it can fly the Maximus flag when soliciting providers. We think Maximus’/Coupa’s solicitation of providers should be cause for concern by the California Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC).

We urge Maximus to clarify the exact nature of its relationship with Coupa so that providers can make informed decisions about whether to engage with this entity.

More importantly, it must be made abundantly clear that providers are under no obligation to follow Coupa’s instructions, and that Maximus will continue to conduct IBR per the established procedures. Providers have enough ambiguity to contend with in workers’ comp. Maximus, please shed some light.

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