cases in the report. Tips, such as those submitted to an organizational hotline, were the most common method of de- tecting fraud, the report showed, re- sponsible for picking up 39 percent of cases (37 percent in the United States). (See “Detecting Fraud,” page 58.) Or- ganizations with reporting hotlines were more likely to detect fraud than those without hotlines. The North Texas OB-Gyn’s prac-
tice has enough employees to ensure one person doesn’t have control over the practice’s entire capital. “You should have checks and bal-
ances so that if you receive checks from insurance companies, a differ- ent person opens the envelope, and a different person puts it into the com- puter, and a different person actually takes it physically to the bank,” the OB-Gyn said. “You need to have mul- tiple steps and internal controls.” Hiring trustworthy staff is never a
guarantee, but practices can take steps to minimize their risk when bringing in someone new. The Texas Medical Association’s staff recruitment service can help practices find the best, most trustworthy candidates. (See “TMA Staff Recruitment Help,” at right.) TMA Practice Management Con-
sultant Brad Davis says once a can- didate receives a job offer, the back- ground check that follows includes not only a criminal history, but also a credit check that would show wheth- er the candidate is carrying a high amount of debt, which might serve as a motivator to embezzle. “You do what you can and try to get
all the information you can … and just try to ask the right questions,” Mr. Da- vis said. “It’s not a foolproof process, so even if you do the right thing, per- form a background check and thor- oughly vet the candidate out, there’s always a chance that misappropria- tion could take place. But we try to cover all the bases before making a formal offer of employment.” In addition to TMA providing dis-
counted recruiting services for mem- bers, some county medical societies
September 2016 TEXAS MEDICINE 57
TMA STAFF RECRUITMENT HELP
TMA offers members personalized recruiting of qualified staff for front ofice, billing, clinical, and management positions at below-market rates. The service provides assistance with job descriptions, reviews and evaluation of resumes, background and reference checks, on-site interviews, and training. A TMA consultant will determine the clinical and business
staff appropriate for your practice and recruit qualified candi- dates to meet your needs. Your consultant will:
• Collect job-related information; • Provide salary and benefit recommendations; • Place employments ads; • Conduct telephone screenings; • Schedule and participate in interviews; • Check references; and • Initiate background checks for qualified candidates.
For more information, contact TMA Practice Consulting at (800) 523-8776, or email
practice.consulting@
texmed.org.
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