Ace Your Patient Dining Associate Interview: The Top 30 Questions and How to Answer Them

Communication with patients and their families, working with doctors and insurance companies, collecting and keeping private medical records, processing payments, and making sure patients are happy are all things that patient service representatives are responsible for.

In order to prepare for a successful interview and move closer to getting hired as a patient service representative, read this article and follow Zippia’s best career advice. This will help you get the job and have a fulfilling career in patient services.

10 Additional Patient Service Representative Interview Questions for Employers

• How do you make sure that a patient’s insurance covers the procedure and get pre-authorizations?
• How do you answer questions from patients about billing, different ways to pay, and insurance claims?
• How do you make sure you’re following HIPAA rules and keeping patient information private?
• Describe your experience with medical coding and billing systems. How proficient are you in navigating and utilizing them?.
• Can you talk about how well you know medical terms and how well you can communicate with healthcare professionals?
• How do you organize and handle questions from patients, both in person and over the phone?
• Have you worked with electronic health record (EHR) systems? If so, describe how well you know how to use them and what problems you’ve run into.
• Can you give an example of a time when you solved a patient’s insurance coverage problem in a way that was good for both the patient and the healthcare provider?
• When a patient complains or is worried about the quality of care they received, how do you handle it? Can you give an example of how you dealt with this?
• Can you talk about your experience processing and verifying medical claims, which includes sending claims to insurance companies and dealing with any rejections or denials of claims?

20 Common Interview Questions for a Patient Service Representative Job

If you want to work as a patient service representative, you should be ready to answer a number of questions that are specific to the job. Here at the top 20 most commonly asked patient service representative interview questions and sample answers:

• Many people are asked to “Tell me about yourself.” This question is usually asked at the beginning of an interview. This question is used to break the ice and get to know you better. Your answer should highlight your relevant skills and qualifications. Answer Example: I’ve been a patient service rep for eight years. I got into the field because I’ve always loved taking care of patients and making sure they had a good experience in the medical field. One of my favorite things about my job is getting to talk to patients and help them along their health journey. In my last job at XYZ Company, I was in charge of answering patient questions, making appointments, and making sure that insurance billing and coding were done correctly. I’ve developed good communication skills over the course of my career, which lets me talk to patients, healthcare professionals, and insurance companies in a clear way. As someone who has worked with patients before, knows how insurance works, and can talk to people well, I think I could make a big difference at this company and help you succeed.
• Why do you want to work as a patient service representative? Not everyone wants to work as a patient service representative. You need to be very organized and discreet, have great customer service skills, and have worked with patients, medical staff, and insurance companies before. You also need to be passionate about giving patients the best experience possible. The hiring manager often asks this open-ended question to candidates for the job of patient service representative to find out what drives the applicant and if they would be a good fit for the job. Example Answer: I’m a people person. It makes me happy to be a patient service representative because I can make a difference in people’s lives and help them understand how our healthcare system works. I like helping patients, but I also like working in administration in the medical field and using my skills and experience to make the office run more smoothly and quickly.
• What experiences have prepared you to work as a patient service representative? Listing your relevant past experiences is a great way to stand out from other applicants and move up in the hiring process. Let’s say you’ve never worked in patient services or a medical office before. So, this is a great chance to talk about other jobs you’ve had that required good customer service and communication skills. Example Answer: For the past year, I’ve worked part-time as a patient service rep for Peconic Healthcare. At work, it was my job to make medical appointments, answer patients’ questions, work with insurance companies and doctors, file medical records, and collect patient information. I’ve also worked as a medical receptionist at a private practice for six years.
• What do you think are the most important traits for a good patient service representative? The best way to answer this common interview question is to talk about your best skills and work experiences. You should read over the job ad’s requirements before your interview, whether it’s in person, over the phone, or via video conference. Then, when you answer the interview questions, you should make sure to emphasize those qualifications. Example Answer: I believe that the best patient service reps can do their paperwork and other administrative tasks while also making patients feel at ease and welcome. To be successful in patient services, you need to be committed to giving great customer service, giving patients and their families full explanations, updates, and answers, keeping professional working relationships with doctors and medical staff, working with insurance companies, and always making sure accuracy and satisfaction.
• How would you deal with a patient who is angry? Sometimes, even the best customer service reps have to deal with angry or frustrated patients. Being a good patient service rep means being able to quickly solve patients’ problems and give them the help they need to get the best medical care possible. When you answer this interview question, talking about your communication and problem-solving skills will help show why you’re the best person for the job. An example answer would be: I always make sure my patients are well-informed and happy with their medical care. If a patient is upset, I always listen to what they have to say and try my best to solve their problems. If it was necessary, I would forward their message to a boss or doctor for follow-up.
• If you’re applying for a job as a patient service representative, what was your biggest accomplishment? Hiring managers want to know how motivated you are to do the job, even if you’re just starting out. One way they figure out if a job applicant is interested and how skilled and knowledgeable they are is by looking at what they’ve done in the past. Example Answer: In my last job at MGT Medical, I collected and filed all the necessary patient information 99 percent of the time. I was promoted to patient service supervisor after six months on the job and was in charge of three other people.
• How flexible is your schedule? A lot of people who work in customer service have to work odd hours, like nights and weekends. Prepare to talk about your schedule during the job interview, especially if you’re applying to a clinic or medical facility that has hours outside of the normal workweek. Example Answer: With advanced notice, my schedule is very flexible. I’m available to work day, night, and weekend shifts. I have a harder time with last-minute changes to my schedule, but I always put my work first and do everything I can to make my schedule work for me.
• Tell me about a problem you had to deal with as a patient service rep. Professionals in every industry face challenges. When hiring managers ask this common interview question, they want to know how you deal with problems and stress, which is important when working with customers as a patient service representative. In my last job as a patient service rep, our NextGen Healthcare software crashed, leaving us without access to patient health records for several hours. I quickly went back to the old-fashioned way of checking patients and writing down their medical information by hand. For the doctor, I used our backup files to get records and worked with NextGen, who sent a service person to fix the problem.
• How can you make sure that patients, their families, and medical and administrative staff can talk to each other clearly? Along with good customer service, the most important skill that recruiters look for in a patient service representative is clear, useful communication. Being able to talk and write clearly with patients, their families, medical staff, administrative staff, and insurance companies will make you a more appealing candidate and improve your chances of moving on to the interview stage and getting hired. Example Answer: I know how important communication is in the patient services field and do everything I can to make sure everyone is up to date. To make sure I’m communicating clearly, I usually try to send two messages when I need to share important information. These messages can be sent by text message, email, cell phone, work phone, home phone, or fax. I respect my patients’ right to privacy, so before I get in touch with them, I always look at their record to see how they’d like to be reached.
• During the workday, how do you stay organized and decide what to do first? Hiring managers and medical professionals look for patient service representatives who can stay focused and organized because their job is to collect, maintain, and record patients’ personal and medical information. Example Answer: Every morning, I make a list of the things I need to do that day and rank them in order of importance. This helps me do my best work by getting things done quickly and easily, staying organized, and giving patients the best care possible.
• What does good patient service mean to you? This is a given, but you should be ready to talk about it in more detail at your interview to be a patient service representative. During job interviews, hiring managers often ask questions to find out how committed you are to patient services and how you make sure patients get good service. Example Answer: For me, good patient service means doing everything I can to make sure patients are happy with their care and know everything I can about their insurance and coverage. Another thing I believe is an important part of good patient service is speaking up for patients.
• Why are you the best person for this patient service representative job? Hiring managers in all professional fields often ask job applicants why they’re the best person for the job. One of the best ways to answer this question is to talk about your most important professional skills, abilities, and qualifications with confidence. The example answer says that I have worked as a patient service representative for more than five years and am very good at coordinating with doctors and insurance companies, talking to patients, running front desks, doing paperwork and administrative work, and making sure that all patients feel welcome. I have a history of carefully writing down information about patients and know how to use medical record software like NextGen.
• What are some ways to keep your cool when working with private medical records and talking to patients? Patient service reps deal with private medical records all the time, so it’s important to keep your cool and follow all HIPAA rules for patient privacy. Talking about how much you care about patient privacy will make you a more well-rounded and attractive job candidate. Answer Example: The privacy of my patients is very important to me. When working with records that have personal or medical information on them, I always keep a very high level of privacy. I know everything there is to know about HIPAA rules and always do everything according to the privacy rules.
• If you were hired for this job, how would you make sure patients had a great experience? Along with their regular duties, patient service reps are often also expected to make the workplace a nice place for patients to be. Showing that you care about giving patients a good experience will make you a more attractive job applicant. Example Answer: I am fully committed to making the office a friendly place where all patients can have a good time. I believe that good medical care starts with the people who help patients, so I always try to make a good first impression by being professional and friendly, responding quickly to questions and concerns, communicating clearly with patients and their families, sending appointment confirmations and reminders, and working quickly to cut down on wait times and make patients happier.
• Have you worked with doctors and other medical staff before? If you ask someone who has worked in a medical office, they’ll tell you that working with doctors and other medical staff is different from other administrative jobs. Not only do patient service reps have to talk to patients, but they also have to work closely with medical professionals as part of their job. As a patient service representative, having worked with doctors or in a medical facility before will help you make a good first impression on hiring managers and get the job of your dreams. Example Answer: I’ve worked as a medical receptionist at a small community hospital for five years in addition to the two years I’ve spent as a patient service representative for Southside Medical. I have worked with medical professionals before and am very good at coordinating with doctors to make sure patients get good care and services.
• Our office is very fast-paced. How would you make sure that every task is done correctly, quickly, and with a lot of care and privacy? Medical offices, which are usually much bigger, multi-practice buildings, move very quickly. Showing that you can work quickly, do more than one thing at once, and keep accurate records will help you sell yourself to hiring managers and move up in the process. I like working in fast-paced places because I think I do my best work when I’m pressed for time. I have gotten better at organizing and doing more than one thing at once after five years of working as a patient service representative. I always try to make a plan, set goals that I can reach, and put things in order of importance.
• Tell me about your experience setting up appointments for patients and keeping track of a full calendar. As a patient service representative, you need to be able to schedule and manage a busy appointment calendar. The interviewer is asking this question to see how well you can do it. In your answer, be sure to use examples from your past and stress the skills that are important. Example Answer: In my last job, I was in charge of making sure that a big clinic’s appointment system worked smoothly. I know how to use both paper and computer systems for making appointments. I’m very good at using a number of different appointment software programs. I’ve become very good at organizing and managing my time so I can keep up with my busy schedule. This has helped me set priorities for different kinds of appointments based on how important they are, how long they will last, and what the patient needs. I dealt with problems that came up when I had to handle a lot of appointments by doing things like double booking for shorter appointments or working with healthcare providers to make room for urgent cases.
• Have you ever had to deal with a situation where a patient’s private information was lost or stolen? It’s important to know how to handle private patient information. There may be a time when their information is leaked or compromised, so the interviewer wants to make sure you know what to do. When you need to answer this question, think of a past event and use the STAR method (situation, task, action, result). Example Answer: In my previous job, I saw a situation where a patient’s private information could have been stolen. When this happened, I did what was expected of me and told my boss and the company’s privacy officer right away. I worked closely with the privacy officer to do a full investigation into the breach to find out how bad it was and what effects it might have had on the patient. I knew how serious the situation was, so I made sure that everyone involved in the process had clear and honest communication. To help the patient who was hurt, I called them to let them know about what happened and what we were doing to fix it. I told them about possible risks and what they can do to keep their personal information safe. I knew how important this situation was, so I’m sure I’ll be able to handle similar ones in the future.
• Please describe the steps you would take if a patient asked for or needed help getting their medical records. As a patient service representative, there will be times when a patient wants to see their medical records or needs help getting them. Your job is to show that you understand the process and can help patients in the best way possible. Example Answer: When I help a patient with their medical records, I follow a structured process to make it easy for them and make sure I’m following the rules, like HIPAA. This process starts with actively listening and understanding the request. After that, I’ll make sure the patient is who they say they are and get their permission to help protect their privacy. After making sure the patient is who they say they are, I will go over the steps and paperwork needed to get their medical records. After that, I’ll work with the right department to get access to these records. I’m sure that there is a lot of communication during the process and that the records are sent on time. Any questions or concerns the patient has after the visit will be taken care of by me. During the whole process, I keep things secret and follow all legal and company rules.
• In what ways do you deal with patients who are difficult or won’t follow established rules or procedures? Difficult patients are bound to come up, so the interviewer wants to make sure you know how to handle them properly. Your answer should show that you can deal with tough situations with understanding, professionalism, and confidence. Example Answer: It’s important to show empathy and patience when dealing with patients who are difficult or won’t follow directions. When these things happen, I will actively listen to their worries and anger and give them a chance to fully express their point of view. Then, I will calmly and politely explain why the rules and procedures are the way they are, and I will stress that these are in place to keep patients safe. I would give them explanations of the steps that are clear, concise, and easy to follow, or I would offer an alternative solution that might address their concerns while still following the set procedures. If I needed to, I would talk to someone on the healthcare team, like the patient’s primary care provider or the supervisor, to get advice and make sure that the problem is solved in a complete way. During the whole process, I will stay calm and professional and write down all the details of what happened and what was done. After that, I’ll check in with the patient to make sure their concerns have been taken care of.

Patient Dining Associate at Sentara Health

FAQ

What are a patient dining associate’s responsibilities?

Why do you want to be a patient service representative?