Preventing Embezzlement in Dental Practices

By:  Justin Rigsby, First Defense Alarms

Embezzlement is a serious issue for any small business.  Dental practices are particularly susceptible to embezzlement because the direct job of the owner is to work with the patients—not necessarily the front office.  As dental practices grow, more employees are introduced into the success equation.  The problem with a growing success equation is that one wrong variable can drastically change your practice, your liability, and your future.

In my years of providing security services to small businesses, including dental practices, it has become apparent that the security measures put into place are often more reactive than proactive.  When a business owner takes the time to understand the nature of his or her business processes and institute the necessary policies and security measures, security breaches and embezzlement can be prevented all together.

How do you reduce the risk of embezzlement?

1.  Install a monitored security system with smartphone control capabilities.

A security system should be installed to protect your office from burglary – and it should also protect your office from authorized users entering during unauthorized times.  Embezzlement can occur after hours when no one else is around.  Installing a monitored security system with a smartphone app allows you, as the business owner, to be notified immediately when the security system is disarmed.  Further, you should request monthly open/close reports from your security company.  This allows you to see when the security system was armed/disarmed and by whom.  Finally, each employee should have his or her own user code, which provides an audit trail to track each and every employee’s arming/disarming activities.

2.  Install a high quality camera system with smartphone viewing capabilities.

Only a high quality camera system should be installed.  Many camera systems installed over the years have become outdated or blurry to the point that police can no longer use the footage as evidence to capture and prosecute a criminal.  True HD (1080P picture quality) camera systems can now be installed at a very reasonable rate.  It can also be viewed online, at home, or on a smartphone.

3.  Consider installing an access control system.

Access control systems only allow individuals with a badge or keyfob to enter an office only during specified times and further provides an audit trail of when an employee entered the building and what doors were opened.  This can also be used for specific rooms (such as payment or bill collecting areas) in the office and will limit access to certain employees.

There are many things that can be done to prevent security breaches and embezzlement in your dental practice – working with the right security company, one that can install and integrate your security devices together, is an important step in protecting your business.

For more information on installing security systems in your practice, please contact Justin Rigsby at Justin.Rigsby@FirstDefenseAlarms.com, or at 614-40-SIREN.