Hiring for an Administrator Position? Here are Key Interview Questions
At some point your physician medical practice may need to hire a new office manager or administrator (I’m assuming you know the difference between the two). During the interview process, the questions you ask your applicants are crucial to making the right hire. I’ve put together a few questions below to ask your applicant during his or her interview. You might not use all of them but I suggest trying to use most of them.
Interview Questions
- Quote the mission statement of a recent employer and tell us about one or more ways you helped fulfill it.
- Describe a challenge you have faced in dealing with a physician governing board and how you dealt with it.
- Tell us about the professional organizations in which you participate.
- Describe your continuing education activities in the past year.
- Given a budget for your own professional education, what areas would you seek education in to better be able to serve this practice?
- Describe the professional achievement of which you are proudest.
- What would your recommended budget ratios be, as a percentage of revenues, for labor, facilities and marketing, for a practice similar to the one you left, and why?
- Describe how you believe a practice should optimally use its CPA and attorney.
- Describe how you might correct an over-budget situation in any one fiscal quarter.
- In your opinion, what are the most important financial benchmarks to monitor on an ongoing basis.
- Specifically, what revenue cycle benchmarks should be monitored on an ongoing basis.
- Describe how you would monitor our overhead to make sure costs are contained and efficient.
- A part-time temporary person wishes to be an independent contractor rather than an employee. Explain how you would determine if this were feasible and the risks to the practice.
- List the regulatory issues/agencies with which a medical group needs to monitor compliance.
- Describe the most common internal controls for a medical practice.
- Do you have accounting/bookkeeping experience? If yes, please describe.
- How often would you want to meet with which physicians and why?
- Describe the computers programs in which you are proficient.
- Name or describe any organizational tools you use to improve your own performance or keep track of issues and responsibilities.
- Describe how you would handle a repetitively tardy staff person. Physician?
- You suspect an employee of having an alcohol or drug problem. How would you handle it?
- How would you handle an employee complaint of sexual harassment by a physician?
- Describe how you would go about firing an employee who merited termination.
- Describe how you would handle a disruptive physician in a meeting.
- How would you ensure patients are constantly satisfied with our medical practice?
- Describe the difference between internal and external marketing and how each is used.
- Describe how you close out a day and tie to the daily deposit slip.
- Describe how you would monitor accounts receivable.
- Describe how you would monitor the front desk and billing/collection activities.
Additional Medical Practice Management Resources
Have questions? I’m here to help.
