In this episode, I sit down with one of the sharpest minds in ortho consulting, Cathy Jugovic. If you’ve never heard of her, trust me—you’re about to want her in your corner. Cathy has spent decades inside orthodontic and general dental practices, and she knows exactly where to look when something’s off. Whether it’s overdue accounts, patients who’ve vanished without a next visit, or that quiet employee pocketing your cash—she’s seen it all. And she’s helped over 400 doctors fix it.

We talk blind spots, accountability, culture, and why your front desk could be quietly costing you more than you think. Plus, we unpack the real role of the founder-doctor, how to sniff out embezzlement, and the key reports you should be reviewing daily—even if you’re short-staffed. If you want to understand how high-performing practices actually operate under the hood, this one’s a masterclass.

QUOTES
"If you’re not asking questions about the reports, your team will assume you’re not looking. And when they think you’re not looking—they stop doing the work."
 — Cathy Jugovic

"It’s your practice. You better know what’s going on. That’s Business 101."
 — Cathy Jugovic

Key Takeaways

Intro (00:00 )
Cathy’s background: 23 years in GP, then ortho, then consulting (02:00 )
Scaling from 200 to 9,000 patients—and what she learned (03:00 )
The 6 reports every practice should be running weekly (06:34 )
How to monitor AR, over-treatment, and no-future-appointment lists (06:50 )
Why most front desks don’t work their reports—and how to fix that (08:00 )
The role of the founder-doctor in practice ops today (11:28 )
How to structure your team’s accountability systems (12:25 )
Embezzlement red flags (17:56 )
The $70K case Cathy helped uncover—and how they caught her (20:29 )
What not to do if you suspect theft (24:26 )
Don’t take cash—and why your team watches how you handle it (22:02 )
Missed starts: how doctors unintentionally kill case acceptance (29:26 )
New patient sales: why most practices have no system (32:38 )
Cathy’s "Orthodontic Money Map" seminar with Prosperident (37:21 )
Why 8 out of 10 practices are being embezzled—whether they know it or not (38:00 )


Additional Resources

If you think your practice is doing fine because the money’s hitting your account, think again. Reports don’t lie—but people might. If you don’t know your overdue AR, unscheduled actives, and adjustment patterns, you could be bleeding money (or worse).

👉 Reach out to Cathy Jugovic at cdjugovic@gmail.com or call 954-383-3566 to learn how she can help. And if you’re serious about digging into the numbers, don’t miss the Orthodontic Money Map seminar in Deerfield Beach. Visit Prosperident.com for details.

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