What Happens to Dental System Access When an Employee Leaves?
When a dental employee leaves, removing their email account isn’t enough. Their access may still exist in practice management software, Microsoft 365, remote tools, shared systems, or other applications. A proper offboarding process closes those access points, protects patient data, and makes sure the next person doesn’t inherit access that belongs to someone else.
An employee leaves a dental practice. Their email is turned off. Their keys are returned. Their computer is put away. But what happens to the accounts they used every day?
They may still have access to Dentrix, Eaglesoft, or Open Dental. They may still be signed into Microsoft 365. A remote access account may still be active. Their password may be known by someone else. For an office manager, this can be easy to miss during a busy staff change. The offboarding process needs to cover more than email.
Start With Every Account
Make a list of the systems the employee could access. For a dental practice, that may include the practice management system, email, Microsoft 365, imaging software, cloud applications, remote access tools and file storage. Don’t assume one account controls everything.
A staff member may have a separate login for dental software and another for an imaging system. They may also have access through a shared workstation or remote connection. At Veritaz IT Solutions, we recommend keeping an access list for each role. When someone leaves, it gives the office a clear list to work through.
Remove Access From Dental Software
Practice management software should be part of the offboarding checklist. That includes systems such as Dentrix, Eaglesoft and Open Dental when they are used by the practice. Disable the employee’s individual account as soon as their access is no longer needed. Check their permissions too. If the person had access to information or functions beyond their normal role, make sure those permissions don’t remain active.
Shared logins need attention as well. If a former employee knew a shared password, changing the password may be necessary. The same applies to other systems where individual accounts aren’t being used. The aim is simple: a former employee should not be able to sign back in.
Don't Forget Microsoft 365 and Remote Access
Email is only one part of Microsoft 365. Check access to the services connected to the employee’s account. Review active sessions and any devices that may still be signed in. Remote access deserves the same attention.
If the employee could connect to the practice from home, their remote access account should be disabled when they leave. Any saved credentials on their computer or another device should also be considered.
At Veritaz IT Solutions, we also check whether former employees had access through other accounts. Removing one login won’t help if another active account still gives them a way into the network.
Review What They Could Access
Offboarding is also a good time to check permissions. An employee may have had access to more systems than their job required. Another employee may have taken over the role and now needs some of those permissions. Don’t simply copy the old user’s access to the new person. Check what the new employee needs.
This probably will reduce unnecessary access and keep permissions tied to job responsibilities. For a dental practice, this can be especially important when staff moves between front-office, clinical, billing and administrative roles.
Make Offboarding a Repeatable Process
The biggest problem with employee offboarding is often the lack of a clear process. Create a checklist that tells the office manager what needs to happen and who handles each step. Include the employee’s final working time, system accounts, devices, remote access, email, shared passwords and any other practice systems they used.
We can help dental practices review these access points as part of our dental cybersecurity services. The goal isn’t to make offboarding complicated. It’s to make sure one missed account doesn’t leave a former employee with access. A documented process also helps when staff changes happen quickly.
Final Thought
An employee leaving should trigger more than an email shutdown. Check dental software. Disable remote access. Review Microsoft 365. Change shared passwords when needed. Then check what the replacement employee actually needs.
At Veritaz, we help dental practices build access controls around real staff roles and daily workflows. Our dental cybersecurity services can also help identify accounts and permissions that may have been missed during employee changes. For practice owners, the issue goes beyond one former employee. Unused accounts can remain a security risk long after someone leaves.
Find out which accounts and access points could still be open before they become a problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
What accounts should be disabled when a dental employee leaves?
Check dental software, email, Microsoft 365, remote access, imaging systems, file storage and other applications they used.
Is disabling email enough?
No. A former employee may still have access to other systems through separate accounts.
Should shared passwords be changed?
Yes, if a former employee knew or used a shared password.
What about Dentrix, Eaglesoft, or Open Dental?
Disable the former employee’s account and review the permissions linked to that account.
Should the replacement employee get the same access?
Not automatically. Review what the new employee needs for their role.
How can dental practices improve employee offboarding?
Use a written checklist that covers every system, account, device and access method.
