The Web-based Dentist
June 2015
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For: 

David Harris
David Harris, CEO, Prosperident
Power Thought: Prosperident
How to Catch a Thief

The American Dental Association recently published the results of an extensive study on embezzlement. Among other things, the study considered how victims uncovered the embezzlement taking place in their offices.

Here's where it gets interesting -- only 19% of discovery was prompted by the planned operation of the dentist's system of controls (day-end balancing, review of software audit logs, fraud found by the dentist's accountant etc.).  The remaining 81% was discovered by some accidental occurrence (examples include another employee reporting the theft, patients identifying billing discrepancies or an employee working unexplained extra hours).

So what can be learned from this?

There has been a lot written by advisors who suggest that the way to prevent embezzlement is to implement more (and more) controls.  I'm sure you have seen articles that give frustratingly long lists of things a dentist should check weekly and monthly. 

In addition to the large time commitment that accompanies this internal audit process, I have always questioned its effectiveness.  Embezzlers are driven by some powerful forces, and to expect them to be discouraged by some visible and easily circumvented controls seems like a delusional exercise.

With the ADA's survey results reinforcing my view, I hope that dentists and their advisors begin to see the futility of attempting to manage fraud through internal controls and self-directed audit.

Please don't misunderstand me -- there are lots of controls that serve purposes other than fraud detection.  For example, even though day-end reviews uncover less than 8% of all embezzlements, these reviews serve other useful purposes like catching clerical errors.

The good news

Since I've just turned your understanding of embezzlement upside down, at this point you are probably looking for a solution.  Fortunately I have one, and it is a lot less painful than you might think.

This silver lining is that, regardless of the methodology used to steal, embezzlers behave in very predictable ways.  We have developed and constantly refined an "Embezzlement Risk Assessment Questionnaire" that is designed to help you capture and assess these behaviors.  Completion will take less than five minutes and could save you a bundle. You can request the questionnaire by sending an e-mail message to requests@dentalembezzlement.com.

More About Prosperident
 
Why the Web? Reason #262
You Don't Have to Shut Down Your Practice to Install Updates

 

This headline is just plain wrong, from many different angles.


 

Why? Because with web-based dental software, like Curve Dental, you never have to worry about updates let alone install them. Shutting down your practice to install updates is archaic. Whenever you log in to use our software you're always using the latest tools and features. In short,

 

You Never Hassle with Upgrades

With older software, you probably received an upgrade once a year--maybe. That upgrade usually arrived in some fancy box, but it represents pain and expenses.

 

You Never Pay an IT Pro for Assistance

With older software, you probably had to call an IT pro to come in and help you configure the software after it had been installed. Invariably the new upgrade broke an existing integration with some other software. Right?

 

You Never Spend Evenings or Weekends Installing Software

With older software, installing upgrades means time away from family and friends. Why? Because you can only upgrade when the office is closed. 

 

The Cloud is Hassle-free

With a cloud-based system, like Curve Dental, upgrades mean something totally different. We're constantly improving our software and you'll see new features and changes frequently. That's a refreshing change, don't you think?


 

You can learn more about hassle-free upgrades by chatting with one of our dental software consultants at 888-910-4376. Call today to learn more or visit our website.


 


 

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Classic Dental Jokes

Patient: Doctor, I'm very nervous. This is my first extraction, you know.

 

Doctor: Don't worry. It's my first extraction, too.

Fun Dental Facts 

Percent of persons with a dental visit in the past 12 months

  • Ages 2-17: 74.1%
  • Ages 18-64: 65.3%
  • Ages 65+: 56.4%
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