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A very charismatic Bus Off Mgr was prosecuted and found guilty of theft and embezzlement from our ASC. For a new ASC there is so much going on in the beginning days that it's hard to keep detailed track of every person and purchase, etc. Within a few months I grew suspisious due cash that disappeared from a deposit. I began a QT investigation of this woman, reviewing company credit card purchases (had to request purchase details from the CC company). Within the next three months, I found items ordered and removed for her personal use, forged checks, and overpaid wages she reported to our payroll contractor. We prosecuted, and she was sentenced to jail time and restitution. Luckily we had employee theft insurance and recovered the entire loss. The whole experience was very consuming - time, $$ loss and emotions. To prevent this in the future, from the beginning even though a new ASC has to run with minimal staffI, I would make sure that more than one person was assigned to financial tasks. Now we have 1) one person who opens mail and logs payments, 2) a second person who deposits payments into the bank, 3) third person who records payments in the accounting software and 4) fourth person who posts payments into the ASC patient software. I review all credit card statements and authorize purchases for payments. This probably won't prevent a determined thief, but it should inhibit the acts of employees tempted to dishonesty, by knowing they are watched and held accountable. Part of the unexpected fallout, was assuring surgeon owners that appropriate actions were underway, counseling her co-workers who felt betrayed, and dealing with other staff who believed her denials, once charges had been filed against her. All of that in addition to working with the police and legal system through the following 18 months of prosecution.

We had a Toys for Tots box in our front office and one of the employees was caught stealing a very large toy from the box. The stories that started blamed everyone else, and she finally admitted she took the item while still blaming another and saying she had approval. She was subsequently terminated.