I have been investigating thefts committed against dentists since 2004 and the one
question I’ve always been asked by practice owners is; “What should I be looking
for?”
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create an online list of the things that dentists should be looking for with respect to
employee dishonesty. This online list (described later) was designed after years of
observing the actions, and behaviors of these perpetrators.
For many dentists, the mere suspicion that their employee is stealing will cause
them to face a dilemma. Moreover, even when a dentist is faced with “evidence”
that their employee is embezzling, they often will not confront the employee.
That’s not surprising. No one likes confrontation, and dentists tend to avoid it more
than most people. The majority of dentists are highly ethical, inherently kind, very
trusting, and exceptionally non-confrontational people. Because of these traits,
they are sometimes slow to judge, and they put off “going with their gut” when
they suspect an employee of dishonesty. They can experience feelings of guilt when
suspecting someone of criminal activity and fear doing anything unless they have
“absolute proof” of stealing.
Some will refuse to accept that a trusted employee could be stealing, and they continue
to ignore the issue and remain in denial. They go on - business as usual - until
they come to the realization that they are working harder, seeing more patients,
and it’s not translating into more money in their bank account. By this time, many
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that another embezzled dentist was forced to dip into their own line of credit to
pay practice expenses; all while the thief was still working in their practice.
It’s usually at this time that practice owners start to examine their reports and
business records. They will do this for days, weeks, and sometimes months; poring
PM
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42 TPDMAG.COM | SPRING 2019
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