Prosperident Pulse #48, August 2016

• • Tell Us Your Embezzlement Story
  • The "Hall of Shame"

• Upcoming Speaking Dates
• A note form our CEO

Aug 4	Alabama AGD, Destin FL
Sep 9	Seattle Study Club, Houston TX
Sep 21	Canadian Dental Protective Association, Toronto ON
Sep 30	Calgary Specialists Study Club, Calgary AB
Oct 13	Sunset Study Club, Portland OR
Oct 15	Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists, Palm Springs CA
Oct 21	Argyle Group, Ottawa ON
Oct 22	Alberta Society of Dental Specialists, Edmonton, AB
Oct 28	Spectrum Day, Toronto ON
Nov 4	PEAK Education, Novi MI
Nov 10	Carestream Global Oral Health Summit, Las Vegas NV
Nov 16	Harbor Dental Society, Lakeside CA
2017
Jan 18	St Helens Shadow Study Club, Vancouver WA
Jan 26	topsOrtho topsFest, Newport Beach CA
26 Jan	Manitoba Dental Association, Winnipeg MB
Feb 3	Newport Harbor Academy of Dentistry, Newport Beach CA
Feb 23	Ortho2 UGM Anaheim CA
Feb 24	Chicago Midwinter Meeting, Chicago IL
Mar 9	Greater Philadelphia Valley Forge Dental Society, Philadelphia PA
Mar 10	Pacific Dental Conference, Vancouver BC
April 7	UCSF Alumni, San Francisco CA

Our most-requested presentation is called "How To Steal From A Dentist."

To book us for your meeting or study club, click here or call us at 888-398-2327.

Prosperident Hall of Shame

We have recently updated our Hall of Shame so that it profiles over 150 embezzlers. Are you curious whether one of them is working for you?

Dentists -- Tell Us Your Embezzlement Story

Have you been embezzled? Tell us your story here, and receive a $500 discount on our Owner Proactive Strategies preventative product.

You can learn more about Owner Proactive Strategies here.

See Us In The Movies

Our CEO is normally pretty camera-shy. If I didn't think it would get me fired, I'd say that he has a great face for radio :-).

Until recently, he has NEVER allowed himself to be recorded while speaking. So here is your chance, for the first time ever, to see a clip of David presenting -- www.prosperident.com/team-member/david-harris/

A Note From Our CEO

Wishful thinking is something I encounter on a daily basis.

Having your practice be embezzled is definitely an unpleasant experience, and it is understandable that dentists will either unrealistically wish that the problem will self-correct, or will cling to the belief that there is a "magic pill" that will somehow provide safety from the scourge of embezzlement.

I hear many justifications for dentists believing that they are embezzlement-proof. A common postulation is that paying your employees well protects you. This assumes that financial need is the catalyst for embezzlement (often it isn't) and that the extra dollar or two per hour you pay above the going rate will somehow scratch that itch (it won't -- the typical embezzler steals between 2-4% of monthly collections).

Another popular, but misguided, belief is that refusing to take assigned insurance benefits deters embezzlement. I have explained to many doctors that this is simply an internal policy, of which the insurance companies are unaware (and therefore would pay an "assignment" claim originating from that office if received). Also, it is no harder to steal payments from patients than insurance payments.

I had a dentist ask me yesterday if having his spouse sharing front desk duties would stop embezzlement. I mentioned that there are lots of ways for a front-desk person to steal without the involvement or notice of co-workers, and also that the loyalty of a spouse isn't always absolute, as many marriages end in divorce. I don't think I made his day.

So what does work? First, most dentists can do a much better job of screening job applicants (check out this article). Second, many dentists have had success in adjusting how their offices function to eliminate embezzlement "hotspots" and to force would-be embezzlers to steal in ways that are more likely to be caught. Our Owner Proactive Strategies product can help you do this.

And finally, our Embezzlement Risk Assessment Questionnaire is an excellent tool for monitoring the behavior of your employees. For the month of August, the questionnaire is available for half the regular price.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

David Harris CPA, CMA, MBA, CFE, CFF

Chief Executive Officer