Identifying and Preventing Non-Traditional Employee Theft

We believe that 99.9% of dental professionals are honest, caring, individuals who are the foundation of your successful practice.  This article is about the .1% of employees who have found ingenious ways to steal from your practice without touching a dime of your financials.  Non-traditional employee theft can impact your practice as significantly as if an employee stole money from the petty cash drawer or cashed insurance checks.

Credit Card Misuse

The obvious issue with credit card misuse is employees buying more office supplies than needed for the practice and taking the supplies home or selling the supplies to others.  This type of misuse will not “break the bank” but is unacceptable.  Some practices feel this is a cost of having employees use corporate credit cards but the over-purchasing of supplies is a symptom of a lack of rules and can likely lead to bigger issues. Having strict rules about ordering and using supplies, and even a camera focused on the front office, can prevent this type of stealing.

Credit card theft is a huge issue.  Listen carefully to patients who complain that their credit card number was compromised.  It is easy for staff to write down the card number or copy the card and then use or sell the number.  This type of theft can be very difficult to prove and if the amount is low, law enforcement does not have the time or the inclination to pursue it.  Once a patient finds that the theft came from your office, your reputation is compromised.

Resale and Reuse

Has that expensive hand piece been misplaced?  You’ve looked everywhere in the office but just can’t find it.  Have you looked on eBay?  There is a large market for used dental hand pieces and other equipment on eBay. Have you found that you are constantly running low on toothbrushes, floss, fluoride, or whitening products?   Regular inventory tracking can help minimize these theft issues.

Stealing Time

If your employees are paid hourly, chances are you have them fill out time cards.   Besides the traditional problems of staff having coworkers fill in their time card or “forgetting” to fill in the lunch time or time out information, there are other ways that staff can cheat the system.  An Indianapolis dental consultant recalled a practice where the employees entered their time online.  “An employee found that the computer clock could be moved forward or backward which allowed that employee to manipulate the time.  This permitted the employee to arrive late, move back the time, check in, and forward the clock to the right time.”

Think about it;  you leave the office early, an employee can set the computer time forward an hour or two, check out and reset the time back. This gives them an extra hour of pay without working for it. The practice placed a control where only the administrator could change the time and stopped this abuse quickly.

Computer System Abuse

Lastly, don’t delegate staff to back up your computer system.  Instead, use an automated backup system. A dental consultant recalled an episode where an employee quit and then downloaded a virus which wiped out the system, not out of spite but to camouflage theft.

An excellent, honest, experienced employee is priceless to any practice.  A dishonest employee is a costly mistake.  Dental staffing services such as Employment Plus Healthcare not only verify criminal background information but also perform personality assessments in attempt to weed out employees who feel it is okay to steal.

Information provided by:
Lisa Allie
Employment Plus Healthcare, Regional Sales Manager
317-845-9936

Are You an Effective Office Manager?

One of the critical pieces to running a successful dental practice is having an effective office manager who can take charge, organize your team, and help run the office—without requiring constant supervision and management.

Our eDentist Director of Business Development, Kay Valentine, was recognized as the American Association of Dental Office Managers (AADOM) “Office Manager of the Year” in 2009. This January 13-15, 2011 in Denver, Colorado, Kay will lead four sessions on becoming an effective office manager at the Rocky Mountain Dental Convention. Kay will unveil practical tips and information that will guide your office manager toward his or her full potential. Her sessions include topics such as:

• Getting acquainted with ourselves
• Top 10 phrases of personal responsibility
• Understanding how others see us
• Identifying and managing top areas of concern in dental practices today
• 12 reasons why team members aren’t doing what you expect
• How to promote yourself as an office manager
• Taking control of your overhead
• Develop a TAP (team action plan)
• The SWOT method
• Striving for Greatness
• And much more!

Kay explains, “These sessions will be a great opportunity for office managers to empower themselves, discover potential weak areas that they can improve, and meet other office managers who can share in their experiences. You will truly enjoy this opportunity!”

Throughout the four sessions, Kay will share her own personal experience of working as a successful office manager at the office of Gary Llewellyn, DDS.  Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from Kay’s experience, find opportunities to develop yourself as an office manager, discover how to make a huge impact on the success of your dental practice, and meet Kay in person.

If you haven’t registered already, visit rmdconline.com (early registration ends on December 31, 2010) to sign up.

Kay’s sessions will include:

• January 13, 9am-noon
  Become a More Effective Office Manager: Part One
• January 13, 2-4:30pm
  Become a More Effective Office Manager: Part Two
• January 14, 9-11:30am
  Become a More Effective Office Manager: Part Three
• January 14, 2-4:30pm
  Become a More Effective Office Manager: Part Four

View the complete schedule of the convention.

You can also find convention information on Facebook and Twitter.

Kay Valentine is an Office Manager at the office of Gary Llewellyn, DDS. She has also served as Director of Business Development for eDentist.com for several years. eDentist.com is a dental marketing tool that is designed to help connect new patients with dentists across the country. It is an easy way for patients to find a local dentist, and an effective means for dentists to pool their resources together toward a measurable marketing tool that gets new patients through their doors. Over the last nine years, eDentist has connected thousands of new patients with dentists in their local area. Get more information at www.eDentist.com.

Safeguarding Your Dental Practice Against Embezzlement

You work with your employees all day every day and trust them to make important decisions regarding your patients and your practice, but can you trust them with your income?

Most dentists who read this article will assume it’s being written about the other guy, the one who is clueless about their financials and lets their staff run the practice. Your office staff would never steal from you, would they? Office embezzlement is an unfortunate common occurrence in many businesses including dental practices. Not only should you be concerned about financial embezzlement, but you also must be concerned about theft of supplies and time by your employees.

There are many ways of becoming a victim of employee theft. Not only is there the financial loss, but the shock that someone so close to you could cheat you in such a deceptive manner.

How can you avoid being the victim of employee theft?

Be careful of overly dedicated employees. They stay late, arrive early, they are never sick, and hate to take vacations. Oh, and they never need any help with their administrative duties. Certainly, you may very well have an all-around great, ambitious employee, but this could be a symptom of theft as well. The most common trait of an employee stealing is an employee who is always at the office. They simply do not want anyone else handling the receivables, insurance, or payables—including you. What can happen when your employee handles all the financials?

Here are just a few instances of embezzlement:

Patient payments (mainly cash) are not recorded and deposited. Or when a patient pays cash, it was noted for a lesser amount than what was received. The treatment is then posted for that patient for a lesser amount than what it was so the patient’s account would balance out to zero.

Payments to fraudulent invoices. Most dentists may not notice that a “dummy” invoice paid to Johnson Medical for syringes was never purchased for $1000.00.

Overpayment of services can occur easily when having staff hire the vendors. Would you notice that a carpet cleaning business invoiced you 20% or more over their customary rate so your employee could receive a kickback?  When you are billing out hundreds of thousands of dollars, will you notice an extra $1000 invoice?

The employee bills insurance for a friend or family member with dental benefits and sends the check  directly to that person for dental work which was never done.

Keys to Prevention:

According to Steve Jascewksy of Agapemed.com, a Bloomington practice management consultant group, the more sets of eyes looking at the financial aspects of the practice, the less likely that one person can do much without the others noticing. In Steve’s business, he preaches that you can’t have only one person in your office that knows how to do something.

Having one person head up the billing and also the accounting is a bad idea. Though in a small practice this can be difficult, have a different person handle a different aspect of your financials even if you must outsource the service. Steve suggests that the doctor needs to look at the report every month that shows what came in and what went out. That report needs to be concise and be a compilation of billing results, collection results and include information about the accounts payables and receivables. It then must be double checked against the bank statements and verified.

If you must delegate check signing authority, limit the accessibility and have the bank limit the value.

Move away from paying bills with checks and credit cards and pay online with you as the only authorized person to make payments.

Cross train staff so anyone can handle receivables, insurance and payables at anytime. Then insist that staff take their vacations and limit overtime.

Always check a candidate’s references. Though this will not prevent embezzlement, checking the criminal background and references on a potential employee will prevent you from hiring a serial embezzler. A local dentist who prosecuted her office manager a few years ago was shocked to find how many dentists and doctors neglected to call for a reference and hired the ex-employee. She strongly advocates checking references and investing in criminal background checks.

Employment agencies, such as Employment Plus, require all temporary staff to successfully pass reference and criminal background checks before being hired. Employment Plus also offers this service for a nominal cost for interested clients. This can be a good way to vet out any potentially problematic employees.

Dentists should not be fearful that staff are stealing from their practices, but they should be mindful of opportunities and place preventative measures and controls to limit the amounts taken.

Information provided by:
Lisa Allie
Regional Sales Manager, Employment Plus Healthcare
317-845-9936

Eagle Creek Children’s Dentistry: Focus on Family

If you are seeking a family-friendly dental practice in Indianapolis, Indiana that is great with children, the Eagle Creek Children’s Dentistry may be the right choice for you!

The entire dental team at Eagle Creek Children’s Dentistry is experienced in working with children of all ages. They offer preventive and restorative dentistry for children, and a variety of sedation options for anxious and apprehensive children receiving dental treatment.

“We really like kids!” says Dr. Sara Viernes. “We want this to be an experience that makes your child look forward to their dental visits for a lifetime of great oral health. We may be a child’s first dental experience, and we want to create an anxiety free dental atmosphere sensitive to a child’s dental needs.”

The staff recounted the story of a young patient who was scared about her first trip to the dentist:

Some of our patients have special needs that extend beyond their oral health. One young girl had extensive dental treatment needs, but also had multiple physical health conditions that created difficulties in providing her treatment. She had recently been adopted into a new family, and was very shy and reserved. She had spent much of her young life being poked and prodded by doctors, with little support from a stable family environment. Her amazing kindness and bravery was a lesson to us all! Several years later, we all look forward to her visits at our office. She has a wonderful family, a cavity free smile, and her own story of inspiration to share with others.

Not only does the team at Eagle Creek Children’s Dentistry specialize in working with children, they also offer bi-lingual support to their patients!

“We have staff that is fluent in Spanish and readily available to assist Spanish-speaking patients and families,” explains Dr. Keith Rice. Additionally, both Dr. Rice and Dr. Viernes have participated in dental volunteer missions to Mexico.

“Our dental team loves what we do!” says Dr. Viernes. “We believe to be good practitioners we start with education, enthusiasm, and a commitment to the health and safety of every child we serve—and support to the parent’s role in their child’s care.”

Dr. Rice adds, “Our entire team is committed to helping your child enjoy their dental experience from the first smile that greets you, to the wave goodbye as you leave.”

The Eagle Creek Children’s Dentistry is located on the west side of Indianapolis and accepts most major dental insurance including Hoosier Healthwise. For more information, learn about us at: www.eDentist.com/dentist/148.

Conducting Successful Interviews

Along with patient care, practice management, and finance, dentists must also be savvy human resource professionals.  Probably the most important asset to any practice is staff. Interviewing skills are essential for making the right match when selecting a candidate.  Not selecting the right candidate can lead to employee dissatisfaction, increase turnover and negatively impact profits, patient care and employee morale in general.  Below are a list of do’s and don’ts concerning the interview process.  Be mindful that often knowing what NOT to do can allow you to sidestep possible issues and avoid potential conflicts.

Do:

Prepare in Advance for the Interview – Know the candidate, know the job, have a list of standard questions, and be specific about measuring performance.

Collect Pertinent Information During the Interview – Be careful to listen and not put words in the candidates mouth, ask questions about past performance and use that to understand future behavior, note choice of words and body language, analyze notes and information right after interview.

Look and Act Professionally During the Interview – Be sure to dress appropriately, give information to the candidate, create structure and communicate it to the candidate, be aware of your communication and body language.

Treat All Candidates Fairly – Use standard questions, refer to specific job criteria, keep questions job related and do not ask discriminating questions, show genuine interest, have multiple interviewers.

Be Courteous and Respectful – Select a quiet setting and minimize distractions, stay on time, minimize or eliminate interruptions, do not argue or patronize and thank the candidate.

Facilitate Open Communication – Attempt to establish rapport, promote a relaxed environment, do not dominate the conversation (the candidate should talk approximately 80 percent of the time), ask open-ended questions, explain your selection process.

Don’t (questions not to ask):

Any question concerning the following:

• Age
• Arrest Record (not convictions)
• Race
• Ethnicity
• Citizenship
• Height
• Weight
• Religion
• Customs
• Celebrated Holidays
• Names & Addresses of Relatives
• Home ownership & rental status
• Personal Financial Information
• Education or Training not required to do job
• Sex
• Gender
• Pregnancy
• Medical History
• Family
• Marital Status
• Candidate Non-Professional Organizations
• Physical Disabilities
• Mental Disabilities

*When in doubt, do not ask the question*

For more information, please contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Information provided by:
Lisa Allie
Regional Sales Manager, Employment Plus Healthcare
317-845-9936

Updating Your Practice Website

Your Practice Website Was Last Updated… When?

In today’s marketplace, dentists have a number of options when it comes to updating their practice websites. They can work with established companies that are highly regarded in the dental marketplace or they can work with local web developers. Regardless, the process of developing or fully updating a website has come a long way from where it was just a few years ago, and having an attractive, user-friendly practice website that is easy to maintain can be created as long as you follow some guidelines making changes to your site.

One of the most significant changes we’ve seen in website development is that the customer can have much more control over alterations to the site. You can edit, change, delete, and do what you want with your website, when you want. And the process of changing content has been simplified by leaps and bounds, which means the cost of doing so has come down significantly, making this a very good time to update your site, particularly if it hasn’t been changed in the past year or more.

Specifically, you want to use images and photographs that will appeal to your target audience. Provide enough information, but don’t overwhelm the reader with information that is too technical or too graphic. Give them the option to click on to other pages to learn more if they desire. And make sure that your site is easy to navigate. If it becomes too difficult, the reader will be on to the next dental website in a fraction of a second.

What else should you consider when updating your site? Prospective patients will want to know about you, your team, and what distinguishes you. They may have heard about certain procedures but want additional information before they actually call your practice. Similarly, current patients will want to learn more about a treatment you are recommending. They may also want to explore information about procedures they’ve read about, such as implants and veneers.

Use your site to educate current and prospective patients about the types of services that you offer. If you provide patient financing, talk about that as well. Patients in today’s economy will want to know how your financing options make it easy for them to pursue treatment. Pay attention to the tone of what you post on your website, particularly if you talk about practice “policies.” Be careful not to come across as punitive.

Consider what makes your practice unique. As a small business, there may be certain attributes that distinguish you in your community. Talk about your credentials, your expertise, years of experience. If you have been published or quoted in an article or featured on television or radio, include a link on your website to the article or television feature. What are your interests and hobbies? What about your team? Give your prospective patients the opportunity to learn about those that help make your practice successful.

Don’t forget the obvious. Contact information including a phone number and physical location is a must. Make the phone number obvious, and put it on every page. It’s extremely frustrating for a patient when they want to call the practice to make an appointment or to gather more information about something they’ve just read on your website, and they have to search for the phone number in order to place the call.

Before and after photos as well as patient testimonials can be tremendously effective, just be sure to check with your state’s Dental Practice Act. Some state’s acts are very restrictive in this area.

Encourage feedback about your practice, your team, and your site by providing a feedback mechanism either with feedback forms or via email. This can be extremely helpful in identifying areas in your practice that could use improvement and in celebrating the many things that your practice is doing well. Encourage patients to visit the website to offer comments as well as learn more about your practice and your team.

Finally, don’t be afraid to use clear calls to action, such as “Make An Appointment Now,” “Sign Up For Our Free Newsletter” or “Click Here For More Information.” Sometimes just a little encouragement is all the prospective patient needs to become an active patient in your practice.

snap-on smile

Snap-on smile is a multi purpose restorative appliance for patients looking for a non-invasive, reversible, affordable approach to restorative and cosmetic dentistry.

WHY SNAP-ON SMILE

No shots.  No drilling.  No adhesives.  You can even eat while wearing the Snap-On Smile® appliance.  Patients looking for a non-invasive, reversible, affordable approach to restorative and cosmetic dentistry are excellent candidates for Snap-On Smile.

It’s an easy, quick and affordable solution for patients who want to feel better, look better, and function better. Patients using Snap-On Smile report an immediate boost to confidence and self-esteem. Most are impressed with the natural look and feel of Snap-On Smile and are grateful for the brief time investment – about two weeks – to achieve such life changing results.

All it takes is a brief consultation in your dentist’s office.  The process is quick and painless.  Your dentist will take photos and impressions of your teeth.  You choose from different smile shapes and shades for your Snap-On Smile.  In about two weeks, the exclusive lab at Snap-On Smile will create and send your dentist your new appliance for final insertion.  Snap it in and wear it home. Change your smile… change your life.

Would you like to know how it feels to smile again? Then give us a call and schedule your appointment today! 317-291-7550

Are You Sleeping On A Great Opportunity?

“Discover The ‘Business’ of Oral Appliance Therapy” Increase your Production,Profit and New Patient Flow

Oral appliance therapy involves the selection , design, fitting and use of a specially designed FDA approval oral appliance that when, worn during sleep maintains an opened, unobstructed airway in the throat.  Oral appliances that treat snoring and obstructive sleep apnea are devices worn in the mouth, similar to orthodontic retainers or sports mouth guards. All across America, smart dentist are realizing that Oral Appliance Therapy is the next big thing in dentistry.

Sleep Disorders: A dental Viewpoint 

Everyday in your practice you are seeing patients whose lives are being compromised because of the lack of sleep. We would like to show you how you and your team can make a difference in these patient’s lives? This change may be enormous in many cases you can GIVE YOUR PATIENTS THEIR LIVES BACK.  As a dentist you are well aware of the power of the airway. With this program you will learn how to adjust the mandible using the FDA approved oral devices to improve your patient’s airway flow. The patient will breathe better and experience fewer airway obstructions. The FDA approved oral devices can also eliminate snoring. You will receive the powerful combination of knowledge and practical information to START accepting patients for pre-evaluation and treatment. Your knowledge and understanding of airway dynamics will be greatly enhanced as you learn the benefit of increasing nighttime air flow through using FDA approved oral devices designed to bring the mandible forward. This powerful program will show you an easy, simple, effective, and rewarding way of integrating dental sleep medicine into your practice.

DENTAL SLEEP MEDICINE ORAL APPLIANCE THERAPY- Requires minimal time and investment to incorporate into your practice.So don’t sleep on it and wake up to this smart, sensible and proven opportunity to grow your practice increase your scope of patient care and increase profitability.

Snoring Is No Longer a Laughing Matter

Is Snoring a Problem?

You may wonder why you’re reading about snoring on a dental website, but the fact is that as dental professionals, we not only take care of your teeth and gums, we are also here to help you get a good night’s sleep! While it’s the subject of many jokes, it can also be a serious problem. Snoring can not only interrupt your bed partner’s sleep (which is no laughing matter to him or her), it is also associated with sleep apnea and cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure, which can lead to a stroke.
Sleep apnea is a disorder affecting about 18 million Americans that has the potential for serious, and even fatal complications.

Persons with sleep apnea actually stop breathing for brief periods of time (usually 10-20 seconds) while asleep.The pauses in breathing can be very frequent and occur 30 times or more per hour. The most common kind of sleep apnea is termed obstructive sleep apnea, and a less common form of sleep apnea is central sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea often results in feelings of fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness, since the ability to reach deep, restorative sleep stages is impaired. Other warning signs of sleep apnea are often noticed by bed partners and include loud snoring and making snorting or choking sounds at night. Those affected may experience awakening with brief periods of shortness of breath.

The sudden decreases in oxygen levels that occur with sleep apnea place a burden on the cardiovascular system, which must work harder in an attempt to deliver sufficient oxygen to all tissues. This strain causes the development of high blood pressurein approximately half of those suffering from sleep apnea, and this increases the risks of stroke and heart failure.

There is a solution

If you are a snorer or sleep with someone who is, you may be interested in talking to us about a dental appliance that can could be covered by your medical insurance and help keep the noise down and save your life.  You owe it to yourself, and partner too, to call us today to ask us about a custom made appliance that can provide a peaceful solution to your noisy nights.

Call today to schedule your appointment 317-291-7550

Performance Mouthwear

Performance Mouthware

[1] What is Performance Mouthwear™?
Performance Mouthwear™ is a completely new category of performance gear designed for all athletes looking to get better in their chosen sport.  

[2] How does Performance Mouthwear differ from mouthguards?
Mouthguards provide protection. Performance Mouthwear, which includes mouthpieces and mouthguards with patented technology from Bite Tech, does more: It enhances performance. It is not only backed by some of the biggest names in pro sports, it’s also recommended by dentists, pro trainers, strength coaches and wellness experts.  

[3] How does it work?
Clenching the jaw triggers the production and release of a cascade of hormones, including cortisol, the stress hormone. Performance Mouthwear prevents teeth clenching and relieves pressure on the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). By preventing the excessive production of hormones, the body is able to unlock its full potential.  

[4] Are there research studies to support the performance claims?
Absolutely. There are studies published in peer-reviewed journals to support the claims. Visit the “Science & Research” section on www.bitetech.com.  

[5] Who should use Performance Mouthwear?
Hundreds of professional athletes are currently relying on the superior performance and protection benefits of Performance Mouthwear. But it isn’t just for pros – Performance Mouthwear is for all athletes who want to excel in their sport or activity.  

[6] Is UA Performance Mouthwear just for adults?
All adults and children ages 8 and older are candidates.  

[7] How is Under Armour Performance Mouthwear properly cleaned after use?
Most dental cleaning products work on Under Armour Performance Mouthwear—ask your dentist for more details about cleaning solutions.  

[8] What is a defective product and what isn’t?
Under Armour Performance Mouthwear is custom-made and each product is different. As a result of the manufacturing process, small imperfections such as cloudy spots and air entrapment in the appliance material may occur. However, if your product breaks apart at the seams or elements are dislodged from normal wear and tear, it might be defective. Please refer to the product’s warranty information for more details.  

Call today to schedule your appointment 317-291-7550. Mention this article and recieve a 10% web discount.