Prosperident Pulse #109 - August 2021

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.

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.