Employee Theft, Part 2: Three Main Ways Eyecare Employees Steal

In Tuesday’s blog, I wrote about my case of in-house embezzlement. 

I have not suddenly gotten cynical, but the stories I have heard since my recent experience leads me to believe that employee theft, of one form or another, is a dirty little secret going on in more offices than practice owners realize.

Unfortunately, the more trusting you are (like me), the more likely it is to happen.

In his May 2008 column in Optometric Management, consultant Richard Kattouf, OD pointed out three main ways employees steal in optometric practices:

    1. The staff knows how to use computer software. The doctor doesn’t. This makes it
        easy for a key person to modify billings and collections.

    2. The doctor permits staff to order personal Rxs freely. This allows employees to set
        up a side business of selling eyewear to family and friends for fun and profit.

    3. The doctor delegates check writing to a trusted employee. There are many ways
        an enterprising thief can embezzle by setting up dummy accounts.

Tomorrow’s blog will deal with the fraud examiners report and some simple things you can do to protect yourself.

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Regards,
Jerry Hayes, OD

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