Detecting and detering employee theft.
Physician group practices can limit their vulnerability to employee theft by taking steps to detect theft when it occurs and to deter future occurrences. Steps for detecting theft include being wary of an employee's refusal to take earned time off, conducting periodic credit checks on employees, rotating employees' duties, and conducting impromptu reviews of the practice's finances. Steps for detering theft include routing the practice's checks to a lock box; reviewing cash reports; reconciling check with deposit statements; separating employees' duties; reviewing bank, credit card, and ATM statements; setting the tone for prudent financial management; and reporting cases of theft when they occur.