I was honored to join colleagues at OSN New York 2025 to discuss one of the most important and under-recognized topics in ophthalmic practice management: avoiding embezzlement in medical practices.
Financial integrity protects not only our livelihood but also the stability and trust within our teams. Through vigilance, transparency, and internal controls, practices can foster a culture where accountability thrives and patient care remains at the center.
I’m grateful to the OSN faculty and organizers for bringing together leaders in ophthalmology to share strategies that strengthen our practices — ethically, operationally, and financially.
Resources to Help Identify and Prevent Embezzlement
Below are key resources filled with actionable pearls and common themes to help protect your practice from internal fraud:
- 📄 Ravi D. Goel, MD, Embezzlement and the Bottom Line (Presentation slides, OSN, November 2025)
- 🧾 Sara Burns Rapuano, MBA, OCS, “Protecting Your Practice from Embezzlement.”. (AAO/AAOE Practice Management). April 9, 2018.
- 💡 Aaron N. Waite, MD, PCEO, and Jenifer Martin, BS, “Seven ideas to detect, deter embezzlement.” (Ophthalmology Management). January 1, 2018.
- 📰 Michela Cimberle, Protect your practice: Prevent, detect, deter embezzlement. Article which covered Dr. Goel’s 2022 Real World Ophthalmology (RWO) presentation. Ocular Surgery News. April 12, 2022.
