Category: Prosperident Pulse Newsletters

Prosperident Pulse #111 – October 2021

blank by David Harris

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Phone: 888-398-2327 Web: www.prosperident.com October 2021

Webinar Series Concluded
After 20 webinars and over 9,000 total attendees, our webinar series wrapped up in September with a great session that included one of our clients describing her experience being embezzled.
We tackled lots of great issues over this series. Embezzlement, of course, but also hiring, firing, cybersecurity, financial oversight, and many other topics relevant to practice owners.

If you missed the live events, the webinars are all available HERE.
Want to Liven Up Your Speaking Event?
Want to start your post-Covid meetings with a bang?
We have great titles like “How to Outsmart the Thief in Your Practice.”
If you would like to book a speaker for your event, please give us a call or use THIS LINK.
Here are some of the places you can see us soon:
Sep 30 American Dental Education Association Virtual
Oct 7 MMCA Vancouver BC
Oct 19 Comprehensive Care Club Port Huron MI
Nov 11 Oral and Facial Surgery of Naperville Naperville IL
Nov 17 Rhode Island Dental Association North Kingstown RI
2022

Feb 25 Chicago Midwinter Meeting Chicago IL
Mar 7 Benton/Franklin County Dental Society Kennewick WA
Mar 8 Dr. Graham Jones Study Club Monroe WA
Mar 10-11 Pacific Dental Conference Vancouver BC
Mar 27 Massachusetts Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Boston MA
May 6 Ontario Dental Association Toronto ON
Did you miss a previous newsletter? We archive them HERE.
Hiring Properly in a Tight Labor Market
A common theme at conferences and in dental media lately is a shortage of people to hire. The sustained pre-Covid economic boom was already exerting pressure on the labor supply, and the past eighteen months have made things much worse.
The American Association of Dental Hygienists states that 8% of dental hygienists have left the profession since Covid struck, and we have every reason to believe that the same is true for other dental office positions.
Whether externally imposed or an office policy, a requirement for staff to be vaccinated can make things worse by further limiting the pool of available talent.
The View from the CEO’s Chair
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In the news last night, I saw that United Airlines is about to fire 600 employees who do not conform to its policy of universal vaccination.
In a narrow sense, this represents an opportunity for a dentist somewhere. The depleted labor pool is about to be augmented by people coming from a customer service field. There is probably much to criticize about how airlines treat passengers, but we have several former airline employees with whom we have had excellent experience.
More broadly, the trend towards mandatory employee vaccination is going to force dentists into difficult choices. I won’t enter the science versus personal freedom debate. However, I see considerable discussion in dental forums
about how to handle vaccination inquiries from patients. Clearly, some patients expect their healthcare providers to be vaccinated, and will question you or your staff about status and policies, and saying “the vaccination status of our staff is a private health matter” will not be considered a satisfactory answer.
Not mandating staff vaccinations may cost you patients. A mandatory vaccination policy may run contrary to the beliefs of some team members and, as discussed in the article above, may shrink an already undersized applicant pool when hiring.
I have no “right answer” about whether mandating vaccination is something you should do, or how to answer patient questions if you do not. What is important is to recognize this emerging issue, discuss it with your staff, and hopefully reach a consensus acceptable to all.
In case you are wondering where Prosperident stands, our policy is that any team member who works in our head office or interfaces with the public (e.g., traveling or speaking for Prosperident) must be vaccinated.
As always, I’d love to hear from any dentist interested in lowering their vulnerability to embezzlement, or in confirming that it isn’t taking place in their practice. Please reply to this email, or contact us at requests@prosperident.com.

Yours truly,

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David Harris
We are Prosperident, Dentistry’s Embezzlement Experts
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Prosperident Pulse #110 – September 2021

blank by David Harris

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Phone: 888-398-2327 Web: www.prosperident.com September 2021

Webinar – The Finale
After 20 webinars, and over 8,000 attendees, our webinar series is coming to a close this month.
September 23 at 8:00 pm Eastern please join us for our finale, Everything you Want to Know About Embezzlement in One Hour

Free registration is available HERE, and PACE CE is offered.
Want to check out past webinars? Click HERE.
Want to Liven Up Your Speaking Event?
Want to start your post-Covid meetings with a bang?
We have great titles like “How to Outsmart the Thief in Your Practice.”
If you would like to book a speaker for your event, please give us a call or use THIS LINK.
Here are some of the places you can see us soon:
Sep 9 Smile Source Exchange Las Vegas NV
Sep 16 Seattle Study Club Austin TX
Sep 25 Canadian Association of Dental Consultants Toronto ON
Oct 15 Get Stress Free Dentistry Summit Hollywood FL
Sep 30 American Dental Education Association Virtual
Oct 7 MMCA Vancouver BC
Oct 8 MMCA Calgary AB
Oct 9 MMCA Edmonton AB
Oct 19 Comprehensive Care Club Port Huron MI
Nov 11 Oral and Facial Surgery of Naperville Naperville IL
Nov 17 Rhode Island Dental Association North Kingstown RI
2022

Feb 25 Chicago Midwinter Meeting Chicago IL
Mar 7 Benton/Franklin County Dental Society Kennewick WA
Mar 8 Dr. Graham Jones Study Club Monroe WA
Mar 10-11 Pacific Dental Conference Vancouver BC
Mar 27 Massachusetts Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Boston MA
May 6 Ontario Dental Association Toronto ON
Did you miss a previous newsletter? We archive them HERE.
My Office Manager Quit Suddenly. Now What?
Sooner or later, every practice owner receives this unwelcome news. Your office manager, who is key to the smooth functioning of your office, is leaving. A thousand thoughts race through your head. Where will I ever find a replacement? How can I replicate the amount of knowledge that will vanish with the incumbent?
Many practice owners fall into the trap that, when they find the perfect office manager, they assume that person will be in situ forever. Cross-training other staff members never seems like a priority, nor does having any documentation of what the office manager does and knows.
The View from the CEO’s Chair
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Once a month, the entire team at Prosperident gets together for a virtual “Town Hall.” These meetings serve several purposes. First, they give our team, who are widely scattered geographically, a sense of belonging and connectivity. Our work, which is almost always done remotely, can be insular. Particularly in the past eighteen months, our group has appreciated the chance to see and hear each other.
The topics we discuss are varied. Some of our sessions are technical, where one of our more senior examiners will present a specific skill or situation.
At other times we will discuss managing investigations. Since I personally review and approve all final reports where we find embezzlement, report writing is a frequent topic.
These meetings are also our chance to discuss embezzlement patterns and trends that we are seeing.
In the past few meetings, some fairly clear trends are emerging in what embezzlement looks like since Covid struck last year. First, we are simply seeing more embezzlement. Our “strike rate,” which measures how frequently we see embezzlement in cases where symptoms are evident, has increased from its traditional level of 70% to 78% in the first six months of 2021. This means that a greater percentage of the people who hire us are being victimized.
We also are seeing some different patterns. Expense-side theft, like payroll tampering and purchasing personal items through office accounts are on the rise.
People steal as a result of “pressure” which is sometimes financial and sometimes emotional. it doesn’t take much imagination to understand how the long-running pandemic has stressed people on both dimensions, and the need for practice owners to be vigilant is as strong as ever.
If you have concerns about embezzlement in your practice or want to lessen your vulnerability, I’d love to speak with you. You can book a time using THIS LINK.

Yours truly,

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David Harris
We are Prosperident, Dentistry’s Embezzlement Experts
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Prosperident Pulse #109 – August 2021

blank by David Harris

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Phone: 888-398-2327 Web: www.prosperident.com August 2021

Webinars
Did you know that Prosperident puts on a free webinar every month?
Our next webinar takes place on Aug 19 at 8:00 pm Eastern / 5:00 Pacific, titled Cybersecurity for Dentists. We are pleased to welcome Gary Salman as our special guest.
Free registration is available HERE, and PACE CE is offered.
Want to check out past webinars? Click HERE.
Want to Liven Up Your Speaking Event?
Want to start your post-Covid meetings with a bang?
We have great titles like “How to Outsmart the Thief in Your Practice.”
If you would like to book a speaker for your event, please give us a call or use THIS LINK.
Here are some of the places you can see us soon:
Aug 21 Kentucky Society of OMS Louisville KY
Sep 9 Smile Source Exchange Las Vegas NV
Sep 16 Seattle Study Club Austin TX
Sep 25 Canadian Association of Dental Consultants Toronto ON
Oct 15 Get Stress Free Dentistry Summit Hollywood FL
Oct 19 Compre-hensive Care Club Port Huron MI
Nov 11 Oral and Facial Surgery of Naperville Naperville IL
Nov 17 Rhode Island Dental Association North Kingstown RI
Nov 18 Patterson Dental Portland ME
2022

Feb 25 Chicago Midwinter Meeting Chicago IL
Mar 7 Benton/Franklin County Dental Society Kennewick WA
Mar 8 Dr. Graham Jones Study Club Monroe WA
Mar 10-11 Pacific Dental Conference Vancouver BC
May 6 Ontario Dental Association Toronto ON
Did you miss a previous newsletter? We archive them HERE.
All of us at Prosperident wish everyone a happy 4th of July holiday.

The “Policy Vacuum”
Our CEO once said that embezzlers will happily fill gaps in a practice’s policies to their advantage. So what are these policies, and how do embezzlers exploit them?
We hear concerns expressed by many dentists who are aware that their policies are underdeveloped and don’t know how to fix the problem.
Let’s collectively take a closer look at policies needed in a dental practice and how they can protect you.
Organizations have policies for a simple reason; they want people to be treated consistently and predictably. Airlines want their flights to stay on schedule, and Walmart wants two people in the checkout line with the same item to pay the same amount.
The View from the CEO’s Chair
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It’s a good time to be a dentist; practices are busy, and in-person conferences are resuming. My speaking calendar is filling up, happily, because I love interacting with you in person.
The webinar series we started over a year ago is winding down. Over 8,000 of you have spent time with us, but with live speaking taking place again, it’s time to hit the road and see some of you face to face.
One issue that I want to address is the “moment,” when someone calls us with concerns about their practice. A lot is running through a dentist’s mind when they call. Sometimes it took weeks or months for them finally to dial our number.
Many dentists who call carry some amount of self-blame; they believe that their laxity in overseeing their practice’s finances has somehow contributed to their being embezzled. Others are concerned about retaliation that might take place if they take action against a thief.
When concerned dentists call us, we have some guiding principles. First, we are empathetic to the emotional anguish that many dentists suffer when they choose to trust someone and the consequence is that they become a victim.
Second, we do not judge, period. No amount of indifference to your practice’s finances makes stealing from you acceptable. We treat every dentist who calls us as a valuable human being with a challenging issue, and errors in judgment on their part will never cause us to give them anything less than our best effort.
Put simply; we are on your team. We exist to investigate your suspicions, create a path forward, provide clarity, and ultimately better financial health. Helping you have an operationally sound practice and live worry-free is our goal.
If you want to lessen your vulnerability to embezzlement, I’d love to speak with you. You can book a time using THIS LINK.

Yours truly,

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David Harris
We are Prosperident, Dentistry’s Embezzlement Experts
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Prosperident Pulse #108 – July 2021

blank by David Harris

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Phone: 888-398-2327 Web: www.prosperident.com July 2021

Webinars
Did you know that Prosperident puts on a free webinar every month?
Our next webinar takes place on July 22 at 8:00 pm Eastern / 5:00 Pacific, titled External Threats to Your Practice. We are going to deal with issues like identity theft and medication scams.
Free registration is available HERE, and PACE CE is offered.
Want to check out past webinars? Click HERE.
Want to Liven Up Your Speaking Event?
We are so excited to be back to live speaking.
We have great titles like “How to Outsmart the Thief in Your Practice.”
If you would like to book a speaker for your event, please give us a call or use THIS LINK.
Here are some of the places you can see us soon:
Aug 21 Kentucky Society of OMS Louisville KY
Sep 9 Smile Source Exchange Las Vegas NV
Sep 16 Seattle Study Club Austin TX
Sep 25 Canadian Association of Dental Consultants Toronto ON
Oct 15 Get Stress Free Dentistry Summit Hollywood FL
Oct 19 Compre-hensive Care Club Port Huron MI
2022

Feb 26 Chicago Midwinter Meeting Chicago IL
Mar 8 Dr. Graham Jones Study Club Monroe WA
Mar 10-11 Pacific Dental Conference Vancouver BC
May 6 Ontario Dental Association Toronto ON
Did you miss a previous newsletter? We archive them HERE.
All of us at Prosperident wish everyone a happy 4th of July holiday.

Avoid The Worst Hiring Mistake of Your Life
Much has been written about hiring the right people for dentists. Finding a good personality fit and ensuring that employees properly project your office’s personality are topics I will leave to others. My expertise lies in helping you avoid the biggest hiring mistake of your life.
Published studies suggest that over 60% of resumes contain some form of lying. This might be as basic as some form of skills enhancement, or it could extend to covering up that the applicant was fired from a previous job for stealing.
Let’s start by profiling typical embezzlers. They are smart, organized, and have strong computer skills. They present well in interviews, convey an understanding of the preciousness of your time, and commit to creating an environment where that time can be used most effectively.
The View from the CEO’s Chair
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Serial Embezzlers
We have all heard the stories. Someone gets caught embezzling, gets fired by the practice owner, and almost immediately is working across town, or across the street, with predictable results.
And we shrug our shoulders and wonder how this could happen. And yet it does — probably 20% of our investigations involve someone with “baggage.”, and we have many situations where we have investigated the same thief more than once. We’ve seen a spate of serial embezzlers in the past six months, which prompted us to update the hiring article directly above my column.
One energetic embezzler has victimized more than 15 practices. She and I are on a first-name basis – I call her “thief,” and I won’t repeat what she calls me. You can read about her and other serial embezzlers in our Hall of Shame HERE.
Notwithstanding the vulnerable populations, protected information and, yes, money, that pass through dental practices, the sad truth is that owners know far less about people they hire than they should. And the consequences can be devastating.
It’s easy to fix this. What is required is a bit of enlightenment and the resolve to investigate properly before hiring. We did a great webinar on this topic last year; it’s available HERE.
There are excellent people out there who would love to have a job in a great dental practice. Let’s keep the others out!
If you have concerns about someone working in your practice, or would like to lessen your vulnerability to embezzlement, I’d love to speak with you. You can book a time using THIS LINK.

Yours truly,

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David Harris
We are Prosperident, Dentistry’s Embezzlement Experts
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Prosperident Pulse #107 June 2021

blank by David Harris

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June 2021

Webinars
Did you know that Prosperident puts on a free webinar every month?
The theme for our Spring webinars is How to Outsmart Embezzlers.
Our next webinar takes place on June 24 at 8:00 pm Eastern / 5:00 Pacific, titled Slam the Door Shut on Embezzlers.
Free registration is available HERE, and PACE CE is offered.
We’d love to speak at your event!
We are excited to be back to live speaking.
We have great titles like “How to Outsmart the Thief in Your Practice.”
If you would like to book a speaker for your event, please give us a call or use THIS LINK.
Here are some of the places you can see us soon:
May 27
 Canadian Association of Orthodontists
 Webinar
Jun 11 Atlantic Virtual Dental Conference Halifax NS
Sep 9 Smile Source Exchange Las Vegas NV
Sep 16 Seattle Study Club Austin TX
Sep 25 Canadian Association of Dental Consultants Toronto ON
Oct 19 Compre-hensive Care Club Port Huron MI
2022

Feb 26 Chicago Midwinter Meeting Chicago IL
Mar 8 Dr. Graham Jones Study Club Monroe WA
May 6 Ontario Dental Association Toronto ON
Did you miss a previous newsletter? We archive them HERE.
All of us at Prosperident (including our CEO who is a veteran) wish everyone a happy Memorial Day weekend, and we thank all veterans for their service.

Why Virtual Credit Cards are a Bad Idea
Some insurance companies make payments to practices by creating a virtual credit card with a credit balance and then providing the card number. The practice can then enter the credit card number into their merchant terminal and receive payment.
Many dentists have reported that this arrangement was put in place without their consent and that opting out was not presented to them as an option. Insurance companies favor this arrangement because it is more efficient than issuing checks or arranging ACH payments.
There are several disadvantages to allowing an insurance company to pay you in this way.
Something to Talk About…
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I did my first dental embezzlement investigation in 1989.

Dentistry was much simpler then. The practice that I investigated worked on “pegboard” because practice management software was still years from being available. The practice did not accept credit cards – payment was by cash or check, and electronic funds transfers did not exist.

HIPAA was seven years away from becoming law, and OSHA was just beginning to turn its attention to dentistry. PPO was a term that dentists were hearing for the first time, and autoclaves were replacing boiling water for sterilization.

A lot has changed since 1989. Dentistry is safer, more comfortable, and more convenient for patients. The profession’s ability to deliver natural-looking restorations and even improve someone’s appearance has advanced beyond what most would have dreamed in 1989.

But paralleling these advances were increases in complexity in all the areas that I mentioned. And many dentists, for whom the ownership of a practice was already an unwelcome burden, have become overwhelmed with the duality of generating high-volume, high-quality clinical output while also managing a complex business entity.

From the unique perch from which I observe dentistry, I see some dentists who thrive in this stressful environment and others who become overwhelmed.

What can an overburdened dentist do to make their professional life manageable? Fortunately, there are some good options.

Our webinar series, which began over a year ago, tackles issues that many dentists find vexing, demystifies them, and provides guidance on navigating these areas. You can access all our past webinars HERE.

For those dentists with an intense dislike for being business owners, affiliating with a DSO may provide the ability to be a “pure dentist” and completely offload business responsibilities,in a financially rewarding manner.

Finally, if you want some personalized help with taming the business elements of your practice, we are happy to assist. I am happy to speak with any practice owner who wants to discuss their options for making practice ownership less onerous. If this is a discussion you are interested in, please book a time HERE.

For the past 32 years, we have been on your “team” and invested in your success. If we can help you, please feel free to reach out.


Yours truly,

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David Harris
We are Prosperident, Dentistry’s Embezzlement Experts
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Prosperident Pulse #106 May 2021

blank by David Harris
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May 2021

 
Webinars
 
Did you know that Prosperident puts on a free webinar every month?
 
The theme for our Spring webinars is How to Outsmart Embezzlers.
 
Our next webinar takes place on May 20 at 8:00 pm Eastern / 5:00 Pacific, titled Master Your Practice’s Finances.
 
Registration is available HERE, and PACE CE is offered.
 
Want a Great Speaker for Your Event?
In a non-Covid year, Prosperident speakers present 70 or more times annually.
 
Here are some of the places we are speaking soon:
 
Jun 6-7
 Cleardent Virtual Event
 Toronto, ON
Jun 11 Atlantic Virtual Dental Conference Halifax NS
Sep 9 Smile Source Exchange Las Vegas NV
Sep 16 Seattle Study Club Austin TX
Sep 25 Canadian Association of Dental Consultants Toronto, ON
Oct 19 Compre-hensive Care Club Port Huron MI
2022    
Feb 26 Chicago Midwinter Meeting Chicago IL
May 6 Ontario Dental Association Toronto ON
If you would like to book a Prosperident speaker for your event, please give us a call or use THIS LINK.
 
 
Did you miss a previous newsletter? We archive them HERE.
 
 
 
 
 
I’m a New Practice Owner. What Should I be Doing to Protect My Practice?
That is an excellent question.
Embezzlement protection involves a few big steps and a lot of small items. For this post, let’s address the big items.
 
They are proper hiring, financial monitoring, and creating a climate where an employee with suspicions about a co-worker will feel comfortable coming forward.

Hiring

Most dentists know far less about the people they hire than they should. When we say the words “background check” to many dentists, what they hear is…
 
Something to Talk About…
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Each generation has its defining event. For my grandparents, it was World War II. My parents’ experience was the Cold War and the assassination of President Kennedy.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Until last year, I had always thought that the events of Sept 11, 2001 would be my generation’s seminal moment. I was wrong about that.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
When COVID first became headline news over a year ago, most of us probably thought that the disruption would last for at most a couple of months and that the sudden shortage of toilet paper was the most newsworthy event. We were wrong about that too.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
With vaccines finally beginning to win the sometimes-deadly race against virus mutations, we can now take a deeper look at the virus’s impact on the world and on dentistry.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In 2020, economic activity in the US suffered its worst decline since 1946. Unemployment, which stood at 3.5% pre-Covid, peaked at 14% and is still double what it was last February.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dentistry has had to adapt in small and big ways to keep patients and staff safe and demonstrate that safety to sometimes fearful patients.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And yet there are silver linings. The ADA has reported that in 2020, dentists managed to achieve 83% of 2019 revenue. Considering the enforced shutdown that most practices experienced, the overall economic decline, and various other challenges, 83% is a remarkable accomplishment.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
My friend, well-known dental consultant Kirk Behrendt, says that dentists are currently in a one-time period of opportunity. Where does this opportunity come from? It is everything from pandemic-deferred dental work to increased availability of staff to real estate opportunities created by employers downsizing due to staff working from home.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I hope that you are looking for, and finding, the chances to improve your practice. As always, please know that you can obtain help and support from us. If you want to speak with me about your practice, you can book a time HERE.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Yours truly,
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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David Harris
We are Prosperident, Dentistry’s Embezzlement Experts
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Prosperident Pulse #105 – April 2021

blank by David Harris
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April 2021

Webinars
Did you know that Prosperident puts on a free webinar every month?
The theme for our Spring webinars is Our next one takes place on March 22 at 8:00 pm Eastern / 5:00 Pacific.
This month, our topic is How Embezzlers Think and Act Post-pandemic.
Registration is available HERE, and PACE CE is offered.
Want to See Us Live?
We are so excited that live events are happening again.
Here are some of the places we are speaking soon:
Apr 16 East Texas Dental Society Bullard TX
Jun 11 Atlantic Virtual Dental Conference Halifax NS
Sep 9 Smile Source Exchange Las Vegas NV
Sep 16 Seattle Study Club Austin TX
Oct 19 Compre-hensive Care Club Port Huron MI
2022

Feb 26 Chicago Midwinter Meeting Chicago IL
May 6 Ontario Dental Association Toronto ON
If you would like to book a Prosperident speaker for your event, please give us a call or use THIS LINK.
Did you miss a previous newsletter? We archive them HERE.
Why Don’t Staff Come Forward With Embezzlement Concerns?
We have noticed an interesting phenomenon in dentistry. When you look at all types of business in aggregate, “whistleblowers” are responsible for detecting 43% of embezzlement. However, when you narrow the focus to just dentistry, the number drops dramatically to under 10%.
One possibility is that other staff members are unaware that one of their colleagues is up to something. Our (admittedly non-scientific) experience suggests that this is often not the case and that the more common reason that staff with concerns do not express those concerns is that they do not feel comfortable doing so.
Something to Talk About…
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Our webinar series celebrates its first anniversary this month. When we started the series, dentistry was reeling from the Covid-induced shutdown. Our motivation in starting the series was to give back to a profession that has been so supportive of us.

And give we did. We opened our electronic store to attendees, developed several new “toolbox” items, and gave away a boatload of copies of my embezzlement book.

In addition to our three hosts, many Prosperident team members and some great outside guests have joined us live. We have had a lot of wisdom pass through cyberspace, some very funny moments, and the occasional technical glitch of the kind that makes your hair fall out. (The proof is in my picture above!).

If you haven’t checked out our webinars, recordings are available HERE.

Lately, we’ve had people request for audio-only content so that they can listen while driving or working out. This was a great suggestion, so we launched our podcast series. Some content is taken from webinars, and some comes from other sources. It is available through iTunes, Spotify, and other podcast hosts, and on our own website HERE.

We are pleased and humbled with our growing audience and the positive reception that we have been receiving for our material.

To repeat an offer we make in our webinars, we are happy to make ourselves available to any practice owner who wants to speak with us. Thanks for being part of our community and for letting us be a part of yours.

Yours truly,

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David Harris
We are Prosperident, Dentistry’s Embezzlement Experts
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Prosperident Pulse #104 March 2021

blank by David Harris
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March 2021
Webinars
Did you know that Prosperident puts on a free webinar every month?
Our next one takes place on March 25 at 8:00 pm Eastern / 5:00 Pacific.
This month’s title is sure to grab you – we will be talking about Honing Your Practice Owner Skills.
A successful multi-practice owner will join Prosperident’s hosts to discuss this vital topic.
Registration is available HERE, and PACE CE is offered.
Prefer Podcasts to Webinars?
Many people like audio-only content that can be listened to while driving or working out.
Prosperident sponsors The Practice Owner’s Podcast, where Prosperident team members and special guests discuss important topics to dental practice owners.
The podcast is available on all usual podcast outlets including Spotify, iTunes, and Google Podcast, or from our website HERE.
Clubhouse
Clubhouse is the fastest-growing social media platform right now. It features audio-only chat rooms.
Some of our team did our first Clubhouse gathering last week. The consensus was that we liked the forum’s interactive nature and that we plan to continue hosting discussions.
Our next one is scheduled for Thursday March 2, at 7:00 pm Eastern time.
If you are a Clubhouse member and want to check it out, the link is HERE.
Did you miss a previous newsletter? We archive them HERE.
Live Speaking Engagements are Back!
While Zoom has been invaluable when in-person presentations were not possible, words cannot express how excited we are to be able to book in-person events again. Here are some of the places we are speaking soon:
March 1 Greater Nashua Dental Society Nashua NH
April 16 East Texas Dental Society Bullard TX
June 11 Atlantic Virtual Dental Conference Halifax NS
September 9 Smile Source Exchange Las Vegas NV
2022
February 26 Chicago Midwinter Meeting Chicago IL
May 6 Ontario Dental Association Toronto ON
If you would like to book a Prosperident speaker for your event, please give us a call or use THIS LINK.
Something to Talk About…
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It’s been a long 12 months for dentists (and everybody else!)
Having to cope with reduced patient flow and learn a whole new way of practicing with reduced contact has been challenging.
I know that for many, it’s been a difficult year financially. When you overlay all of the other disruptions that have happened, such as school closures and people around us forced to work from home, it’s a wonder how any of us managed to maintain our sanity in the past year.
And yet we did. And to paraphrase my friend Kirk Behrendt, the guest on our January webinar, dentistry is currently facing a time of unprecedented opportunity. Some of the resource constraints that have throttled practices are about to vanish. For example, staff shortages have plagued dental practices for the last five years. With the workplace displacement taking place, there is now a one-time opportunity to upgrade your staff.
Also, there a commercial real estate glut is looming as companies reduce their footprint because of people working from home. Because many practices have time remaining on leases, this may take longer to percolate through to the dental economy, but we are already hearing of dentists negotiating rent reductions from landlords.
I am excited to be booking again for in-person speaking events. While 100 or more flights per year can be a grind, one of the most enjoyable parts of my job has been meeting many of you face to face, and I so look forward to getting back to that.
Yours truly,
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David Harris
We are Prosperident, Dentistry’s Embezzlement Experts
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Prosperident Pulse #103 February 2021

blank by David Harris
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Newsletter February 2021
Positivity
In January, we invited one of my favorite people, Kirk Behrendt, to join our monthly webinar as a guest presenter.
If you know Kirk, you know that he combines phenomenal energy with boundless optimism. And he certainly didn’t disappoint us. The theme of our January webinar was Hello, 2021! Full Steam Ahead. To a packed (online) house, Kirk made a statement that probably surprised many. He stated that dentistry is in a time of unprecedented opportunity for those who recognize how to take advantage of it. (You can check out Kirk’s remarks and gain some excellent takeaways from Kirk and the Prosperident team by watching the webinar, which can be found HERE.)
The past year’s events have made it easy to dwell on the punches that dentistry has taken. Empty chairs, closed practices, and increased overhead from PPE costs have become the norm.
While dentistry has been unquestionably battered and bruised, thankfully, it is still standing. A study conducted by the ADA in December showed that the average practice had recovered sufficiently to enjoy 78% of its pre-Covid patient volume. Since this is an average, it is safe to conclude that some dental practices are doing considerably better than this, whereas some are not. I spoke with a dentist earlier this week who said that his practice’s volume is 30% higher than pre-Covid levels.
What are the factors that differentiate the wildly successful dentists from those struggling to survive? That is exactly what our winter webinar series is exploring.
The theme of practice improvement will continue in our next webinar, which happens on February 18 at 8:00 pm Eastern. Our topic is Easy Steps for Your Best New Hire Ever! We are excited to welcome a special guest with fantastic ideas on this subject. Penny Reed, a shining light in dental consulting for many years, will be joining us.
In a 2020 webinar, we covered how to avoid the nasty “serial embezzlers” who skirt the vetting processes of most practices. This time we will examine a different side of the hiring problem, how to find and hire those elusive people who can help your practice reach its potential.
Our March offering will also grab the interest of many. We are very excited about our March 25 topic, Honing Your Practice Owner Skills.
My on-camera colleagues Wendy Askins and Amber Weber, our behind-the-scenes crew, and this month’s special guest Penny Reed all look forward to welcoming you into our audience in a few weeks. A registration link is below my picture.
And in case you need more incentive to sign up, we will draw 20 names to receive free copies of my book, Dental Embezzlement; The Art of Theft and the Science of Control, from all new registrants who enter “book offer” in the Remarks box on the registration form and register by February 15.
Yours truly,
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David Harris
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Designing Your Post Covid Practice
Join us for our Winter 2021 webinar series. For information and registration, please click HERE.
We are looking forward to “seeing” you on February 18 at 8:00 pm Eastern!
Want to check out one of our previous webinars? You can find them HERE.
Prosperident Inc. 888-398-2327 www.dentalembezzlement.com
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Prosperident Pulse #102 January 2021

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Newsletter January 2021 













Hello, 2021! Full Steam Ahead








Like so many others, the dental community has endured a nearly year-long stress test. For the most part, dentistry's adaptability to change has been the foundation for its success in recovering from this unprecedented year. Although none of us wants to dwell on the year that was 2020, it did present us with an education and a few "silver linings" as we faced global societal changes and internal cracks, highlighted by the unusual circumstances that characterized the year.
 The internal and external trials of 2020 set us at Prosperident on the path of an internal review. Our current policies, products, and services were all put under the microscope to ensure that we kept pace with the changes around us. We have always been committed to remaining a valuable and contributing entity in the dental community. To this end, my team and I have been working with valued clients and outside consultants to ensure that now and in the future, inclusion, diversity, and respect for each other remain a part of our mandate.
 2021 will not be like 2020, thank goodness, nor will it be like 2019. The "exercise" of 2020 has delivered to us the remarkable gift of being grateful for change, no matter how difficult. Who we were, who we are, and whom we want to be will create a shift in how we all do business forever. Prosperident is not just a collection of experienced investigators, IT experts, and talented support staff. We are and have for over 30 years been all of those things and more. We are the total of all the energy, experience, and expertise that our team member brings to each investigation and service that we produce or perform. This you can rely on!
2021 will mark the beginning of fresh starts in many areas for both you and us. In January, Prosperident will launch a quarterly themed webinar series. The theme for winter 2021 is "Designing Your Post Covid Practice," and it reflects our commitment to no-cost education and CE's for all dentists, dental specialists, and dental practice owners. We have streamlined the registration process and concentrated on presenting topics meant to inform and educate you as you continue to reach your goal of having your most prosperous business year ever!
 If there is a silver lining to the events of 2020, Covid has created a wave of thoughtfulness and caring for each other that, while always a hallmark of the dental profession and Prosperident, seems more genuine and authentic now. This is the one gift offered by the past year's events that my team and I will hold close.
Please join Prosperident as we invite all of you to put 2020 in the rearview mirror and as we all forge ahead, both stronger and more connected than ever.
 Happy New Year!










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Designing Your Post Covid Practice
Join us for our Winter 2021 webinar series. For information and registration please click HERE.
We are looking forward to "seeing" you on January 21!

























Prosperident Inc. 888-398-2327 www.dentalembezzlement.com





















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