According to a recent study by the American Dental Association, dentists have reported the following signs that embezzlement was taking place in their offices.
Commonly reported behavior of employees who embezzled:
- Employee was living beyond their means — evident in most of the case studies.
- Patient complaints about irregularities in their accounts/billing.
- Day sheets and/or accounts rarely balanced (but a good reason was always offered!)
- Employee did not take vacations and/or days off.
- Employee was overly protective of work area and responsibilities (front desk “general”).
- Employee became defensive and/or angry when questioned about any discrepancies.
- Employee worked extra hours, especially when there was no supervision.
- Employee was resistant to giving up or sharing duties with another employee.
- A negative reference from a former employer — even as weak as “you won’t be happy with this employee.” If there was not enough evidence to prosecute, this former employer may be protecting him/herself legally by not saying more.
- Employee had problems handling personal finances (debt, bankruptcy, credit cards, gambling, etc.).
- Change in personal circumstances may cause change in behavior (illness, divorce, or drug use, for example).
eAssist Dental Accounting helps to eliminate the threat of embezzlement by front office staff by being another set of eyes on your accounts and also does not physically touch your cash, checks and credit card transactions. eAssist checks your collections and production figures and gives you a balance every day so that you can have some peace of mind.
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