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Patient service representatives are tasked with communicating with patients and their family members, coordinating with medical professionals and insurance companies, gathering and maintaining confidential medical records, processing payments, and ensuring patient satisfaction.
If you’re scouting for a job as a patient service representative, following the tips outlined in this article and taking Zippia’s best career advice will help you prepare for a successful interview, bring you one step closer to getting hired, and lead a fulfilling career in patient services.
Key Takeaways:
Patient service representatives candidates should highlight their communication skills along with their computer and customer service skills in their interview answers.
Interviewers should develop common interview questions along with patient service representative behavioral interview questions to get an understanding of how the candidate will react in specific situations.
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You should be prepared to answer several job-specific interview questions when interviewing for a job as a patient service representative. Here at the top 20 most commonly asked patient service representative interview questions and sample answers:
Tell me about yourself
This is a common interview question that is often asked at the start of the interview. It's used as an icebreaker question to help get to know you better. Your answer should highlight your relevant skills and qualifications.
Example Answer:
I have been working as a patient service representative for eight years. I have always had a passion for providing patient care and ensuring a positive healthcare experience so that is why I got into the field. My favorite part about the role is the opportunity to interact with patients and make a difference in their healthcare journey.
In my previous role at XYZ Company, I was responsible for managing patient inquires, scheduling appointments, and ensuring accurate insurance billing and coding. Throughout my career, I have developed strong communication skills, which allow me to effectively communicate with patients, healthcare professionals, and insurance providers.
I believe my past experiences in patient services, knowledge of insurance processes, and my communication skills would allow me to contribute a lot to this company and help lead you to success.
Why do you want to work as a patient service representative?
Working as a patient service representative certainly isn’t for everyone. The job requires quality customer service skills, extreme organization and discretion, experience working with patients, medical staff, and insurance companies, and a passion for providing a top-notch patient experience.
When interviewing candidates for patient service representatives positions, hiring managers often ask this open-ended interview question to see what motivates the applicant and determine if they would be a good fit for the job.
Example Answer:
I’m a people person. I love working as a patient service representative because I feel like I’m able to make a difference in people’s daily lives and help them navigate the complexities of our healthcare system. Apart from assisting patients, I also enjoy working on the administrative side of the medical industry and using my skills and experiences to boost office productivity and efficiency rates.
What past experiences have prepared you to work as a patient service representative?
Highlighting your previous relevant experience is an excellent way to stand out among competing applicants and advance in the hiring process.
Suppose you don’t have prior experience working in patient services or a medical office. In that case, this is an excellent opportunity to discuss other roles you’ve held that required solid communication and customer service skills.
Example Answer:
I’ve been working as a part-time patient service representative for Peconic Healthcare for the past year. While at work, I was tasked with scheduling medical appointments, responding to patient inquiries, coordinating with doctors and insurance companies, filing medical documents, and gathering patient information. I also have six years of experience working at a private practice as a medical receptionist.
What do you think are the best qualities of successful patient service representatives?
The best way of answering this commonly asked interview question is by highlighting your most desirable skills and professional experiences.
Before going to your job interview, whether in person, over the phone, or via video conference, it’s a good idea to review the qualifications listed in the job advertisement and make a conscious effort to highlight those in your interview answers.
Example Answer:
I think the most successful patient service representatives can accomplish the clerical and administrative duties required of them while also creating a comfortable and welcoming environment for patients.
Being dedicated to providing high-quality customer service, offering thorough explanations, updates, and answers to patients and family members, maintaining professional working relationships with doctors and medical staff, coordinating with insurance companies, and ensuring accuracy and satisfaction at all times is essential to finding success in patient services.
How would you handle an upset patient?
Even the best patient service representatives encounter upset or frustrated patients from time to time. Being a successful patient service representative can quickly solve patient problems and provide patients with the support they need to get the best possible medical care.
Highlighting your communication and problem-solving skills when answering this interview question will help to portray how you’re the best candidate for the role.
Example Answer:
I go to great lengths to ensure my patients are well informed and satisfied with their medical care at all times. If a patient is upset, I always listen to their frustrations and do my best to address their issues and concerns. Should the situation require it, I would pass their message to a supervisor or doctor for follow-up.
What was your most significant career accomplishment as a patient service representative?
Even if you’re applying for an entry-level patient service position, hiring managers are looking to see how motivated you are to do the job. Evaluating your past career accomplishments is one way they gauge an applicant’s interest and assess their skills and abilities.
Example Answer:
In my last position at MGT Medical, I had a 99 percent efficiency rate in collecting and filing all necessary patient information. After holding the job for six months, I was promoted to patient service supervisor and oversaw a team of three.
How flexible is your schedule?
Many patient service representatives are required to work odd hours, including night and weekend shifts. During your job interview, be prepared to discuss your schedule, especially if you’re applying to a clinic or medical facility with hours outside the traditional workweek.
Example Answer:
With advanced notice, my schedule is very flexible. I’m available to work day, night, and weekend shifts. Last-minute schedule changes are more difficult for me, but I always prioritize my work and make every effort to accommodate a flexible work schedule.
Tell me about a challenge you faced as a patient service representative.
Professionals in every industry face challenges. By asking this common interview question, hiring managers are looking to see how you overcome challenges and work through stressful situations, which are essential when working with customers as a patient service representative.
Example Answer:
In my last job as a patient service representative, our NextGen Healthcare software crashed, and we couldn’t access patient health records for several hours. I quickly resorted to the old-fashioned way and manually checked patients and recorded their medical information on paper. I used our backup files to pull records for the doctor and coordinated with NextGen, who sent a service person to correct the issue.
How do you ensure effective communication between patients, family members, and medical and administrative staff?
Besides quality customer service, solid and practical communication is the most essential skill job recruiters look for when hiring a patient service representative.
Demonstrating your ability to communicate verbally and in writing with patients, family members, medical personnel, administrative staff, and insurance agencies will make you a more desirable candidate and increase your chances of advancing in the interview process and getting hired.
Example Answer:
I recognize the importance of communication in the patience services industry and make every effort to ensure all parties are well informed. To ensure effective communication, I typically try to send two communications when relaying pertinent information, including text message, email, cell phone, work phone, home phone, or fax. I value my patient’s privacy and always check their record to see their preferred contact method before reaching out to them.
How do you stay organized and prioritize your work?
Since patient service representatives are tasked with gathering, maintaining, and recording patients’ personal and medical information, the ability to stay organized and remain focused throughout the workday is highly valued by hiring managers and medical professionals.
Example Answer:
Each morning, I make a list prioritizing the tasks I need to accomplish that day. This helps me do my best work by completing tasks fast and efficiently, staying organized, and offering the best possible services to patients.
What does quality patient service mean to you?
This goes without saying, but you should be ready to discuss patient services in depth at your patient service representative interview. Hiring managers often ask job interview questions to determine your commitment to patient services and understand how you provide patients with quality service.
Example Answer:
To me, quality patient service means doing whatever possible to ensure patients are satisfied with their medical care, well-informed, and educated about their coverage and insurance details. I also think that advocating for patients is a big part of quality patient service.
What makes you the best candidate for this patient service representative position?
Hiring managers across all professional industries often ask job-seekers why they're the best applicant for the job. One of the best ways of answering this question is by confidently discussing your most vital professional skills, abilities, and qualifications.
Example Answer:
I have more than five years of experience as a patient service representative and am very experienced in coordinating with medical professionals and insurance agencies, communicating with patients, managing front medical offices, performing administrative and clerical tasks, and creating a welcoming environment for all patients. I have a proven track record of diligently recording patient information and am trained in working with medical record software, like NextGen.
How do you maintain discretion when working with confidential medical records and communicating with patients?
Patient service representatives routinely handle confidential medical records, so using discretion and closely following all HIPAA regulations for patient confidentiality are imperative.
Discussing your commitment to patient privacy will make you a more well-rounded and desirable candidate for the job.
Example Answer:
Patient privacy is of the utmost importance to me. I always maintain a very high level of confidentiality when working with any records containing personal or medical information. I have an in-depth understanding of HIPAA guidelines and consistently complete all tasks per the privacy regulations.
How would you create a top-notch patient experience if hired for this position?
In addition to performing their regular work tasks, patient service representatives are often also tasked with creating an inviting and welcoming environment for patients. Illustrating your commitment to a positive patient experience will make you a more well-rounded job applicant.
Example Answer:
I am fully dedicated to creating a welcoming environment and a pleasant experience for all patients. I believe that quality medical care starts with patient service representatives, so I always aim to make a great first impression by being professional and personable, quickly addressing patient questions and concerns, clearly communicating with patients and family members, sending appointment confirmations and reminders, and working fast to reduce wait times and increase patient satisfaction.
What experience do you have working with doctors and other medical personnel?
Ask anyone who's worked in a medical office, and they’ll tell you that working with doctors and other medical personnel is unique to other administrative jobs. Not only do patient service representatives need to communicate with patients, but a big part of their job also involves coordinating with medical professionals.
Having prior experience working with doctors or in a medical facility will help you make a great first impression on hiring managers and find your dream job as a patient service representative.
Example Answer:
In addition to being a patient service representative for Southside Medical for the past two years, I also have an additional five years of experience working as a medical receptionist at a small community hospital. I am experienced working with medical professionals and very comfortable coordinating with doctors to ensure quality patient services and care.
Our office is very fast-paced. How would you ensure each task is completed accurately, quickly, and with a high level of care and confidentiality?
Medical offices, significantly larger, multi-practice facilities, are usually very fast-paced. Highlighting your ability to work fast, multitask, and maintain accuracy will help you sell yourself to hiring managers and advance in the hiring process.
Example Answer:
I thrive in fast-paced work environments, as I feel I do my best work when under a deadline. After five years of experience working as a patient service representative, I have perfected my organization and multitasking skills. I always try to plan, set achievable goals, and prioritize tasks.
Tell me about your experience with scheduling patient appointments and managing a busy appointment calendar.
Scheduling and managing a bust appointment calendar is an important part of being a patient service representative, so the interviewer is asking this to see how your process is. Be sure to use examples from your past and to highlight your relevant skills in your answer.
Example Answer:
In my past position, I was responsible for overseeing the appointment scheduling process for a large clinic. I have experience using both manual and electronic appointment scheduling systems. I am very comfortable using a variety of appointment software platforms.
To handle a busy appointment calendar, I have developed strong organizational and time management skills. This has allowed me to prioritize different types of appointments based on the urgency, duration, and patient needs.
When I come across any challenges when managing a high volume of appointments, I implemented strategies such as double booking for shorter appointments or coordinating with healthcare providers to accommodate urgent cases.
Have you ever had to handle a situation where a patient's personal information was compromised or exposed?
Being able to handle personal patient information is important. There may come a time when their information is compromised or exposed so the interviewer wants to be sure you are able to react in the correct way. To help you answer this question, use an example from the past and use the STAR (situation, task, action, result) method.
Example Answer:
In my previous role, I encountered a situation where a patient's personal information was potentially compromised. Once this happened, I followed the established protocols and immediately reported the incident to my supervisor and the designated privacy officer in the organization.
I worked closely with the privacy officer to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the extent of the breach and any potential impact on the patient. I understood the gravity of the situation so I prioritized transparent and open communication to all those involved during the process.
To assist the affected patient, I reached out to them to inform them about the incident and the steps we were taking to address it. I provided guidance for potential risks and precautions they can take to protect their personal information. I knew the importance of this situation so I am confident in my ability to handle these types of situations in the future.
Can you explain the steps you would take when a patient requests their medical records or needs assistance in obtaining them?
As a patient service representative, there will come a time when a patient will want to access their medical records or they will need help obtaining them. It's your responsibility to demonstrate your knowledge of the process and your ability to assist patients effectively.
Example Answer:
When assisting a patient with their medical records, I follow a structured process to facilitate their request and maintain compliance with relevant regulations such as HIPAA. This process starts with actively listening and understanding the request. I will then verify the patients identity and authorization to help protect patient privacy.
Once the patients identity is confirmed, I will explain the process and required documentation that is needed to obtain their medical records. After that I will coordinate with the relevant department to access these records.
I'm sure that there is plenty of communication during the process and that the records are delivered in a timely manner. I will address any follow-up questions and concerns from the patient. Throughout the process I maintain confidentiality and adhere to legal and organizational requirements.
How do you handle difficult or non-compliant patients who refuse to follow established procedures or protocols?
Difficult patients are bound to happen so the interviewer wants to be sure that you are able to handle them in a proper manner. Your answer should demonstrate your ability to handle challenging situations with empathy, professionalism, and assertiveness.
Example Answer:
It's important to handle situations involving difficult or non-compliant patients with empathy and patients. When faced with these situations, I will actively listen to their concerns and frustrations and allowing them to express their viewpoint fully. I will then calmly and respectfully explain the rationale behind the established procedures and protocols and highlight that processes are in place to ensure patient safety.
I would offer clear, concise, and easy to follow explanations of the procedures in question or offer an alternative solution that may address their concerns while still aligning with the established procedures. If needed, I would consult with the healthcare team such as the patients primary care provider or the supervisor to seek guidance and ensure a comprehensive approach to resolve the situation.
I am sure to remain calm and professional throughout the entire process and document the details of the encounter and the actions that were taken. I will then follow up with the patient to ensure that their concerns have been addressed.
Can you explain the process of verifying insurance coverage and obtaining pre-authorizations for patients?
How do you handle patient inquiries regarding billing, payment options, and insurance claims?
What strategies do you employ to maintain patient confidentiality and ensure compliance with HIPAA regulations?
Describe your experience with medical coding and billing systems. How proficient are you in navigating and utilizing them?
Can you discuss your familiarity with medical terminology and your ability to effectively communicate with healthcare professionals?
How do you prioritize and manage incoming patient inquiries, both in person and over the phone?
Have you worked with electronic health record (EHR) systems? If so, describe your level of proficiency and any challenges you've encountered.
Can you provide an example of how you've successfully resolved a patient's insurance coverage discrepancy, resulting in a positive outcome for the patient and the healthcare provider?
How do you handle patient complaints or concerns about the quality of care they received? Can you provide an example of how you resolved such a situation?
Can you discuss your experience with processing and verifying medical claims, including submitting claims to insurance companies and resolving any claim rejections or denials?
As a Candidate:
Highlight communication skills. Being able to communication, either verbally or written, is an essential part of being a patient service representative. Highlight your ability to communicate with patients and health care professional using examples from your past in your answers.
Provide examples of experiences. Showing your experiences is an important part of the interview. Be sure to come up with relevant examples of your experiences that align with the job and what is required for the position.
Get familiar with the role. Before the interview, review the job description to get familiar with the responsibilities, duties, and requirements of the role. You should also research the company and get familiar with their values and algin them with your own.
As an Interviewer:
Create a list of questions. The questions that you create should be a mix of common interview questions, along with technical and patient service representative behavioral interview questions. These questions should be tailored for the position to help you find your ideal candidate.
Review the candidate's resume. Make sure you are familiar with the candidate and their resume before the start of the interview. This will also help you develop any resume specific questions to get to know the candidate better.
Take notes. During the interview, take notes of the skills and qualifications that the candidate chooses to highlight. This will also help you evaluate the candidate with the scoring system that your organization decided to use.
Thoroughly preparing for a job interview is one of the best things you can do when searching for employment as a patient service representative. Using the interview strategies and reviewing the mock interview questions and answers included in this article, you’ll be well on your way to landing your dream role as a patient service representative.