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Practice Manager interview questions and how to answer them

A practice manager interview is really a test of whether the owners can stop worrying about the business side of their clinic. Expect questions about denials, staffing gaps, difficult physicians and upset patients, and expect them to want real examples with real outcomes. Here's what they ask, why, and how to answer well.

11 questions7 minute read

Part 1

1.Walk me through how you'd read our aging report in your first week.

Why they ask

The revenue cycle is where practices quietly lose money, and owners want to know you can find the leak without being told where it is.

How to answer

  • Start with the oldest buckets and the biggest payers, not the total
  • Separate patient balances from insurance balances since the fixes differ
  • Look for patterns by payer, provider or visit code rather than chasing single claims
  • Say what you'd ask the billing lead or outside biller before drawing conclusions

2.Tell us about a time denials went up. What did you do?

Why they ask

Every practice deals with payer rule changes. They want proof you've traced a denial trend back to its cause and fixed it.

How to answer

  • Name the payer and the kind of denial, such as missing authorization or a coding edit
  • Explain how you found the root cause by pulling charts or reading the remittance codes
  • Describe the process change, like a new authorization check at scheduling
  • Share how you knew it worked, such as fewer rejections on the next reports

3.A physician keeps overbooking and running late, and staff are frustrated. How do you handle it?

Why they ask

Managing people who technically outrank you is the hardest part of the job. They want to know you'll raise it instead of letting staff absorb it.

How to answer

  • Bring data first, such as wait times, overtime and patient complaints tied to that schedule
  • Talk to the physician privately and frame it around patients and staff, not blame
  • Offer a fix like adjusted templates or protected catch-up slots
  • Say when you'd take it to the medical director or owners if nothing changes
4.A receptionist and a medical assistant both call out on the same morning and the schedule is full. What happens next?

Why they ask

They want to see how you run a day that's already broken, since this happens constantly.

How to answer

  • Check which roles are short and which providers are affected
  • Move float staff or cross-trained people, and step in yourself if needed
  • Decide early whether to shorten a template or move patients, and have the front desk call them
  • Mention the longer fix, such as a call-out policy or a per diem list
5.How do you keep the practice compliant with HIPAA and OSHA?

Why they ask

A privacy breach or a failed safety inspection lands on the owners. They need to know you treat compliance as routine work, not a yearly scramble.

How to answer

  • Describe regular staff training and how you track who completed it
  • Mention access controls in the EHR and how you handle a lost device or wrong fax
  • Cover OSHA basics like sharps, exposure plans and safety data sheets
  • Say you check your state's rules and bring in counsel or a compliance consultant for anything unclear

Part 2

6.What have you done to improve patient access or cut wait times?

Why they ask

Access drives revenue and reviews. They want someone who's changed patient flow, not just complained about it.

How to answer

  • Pick one change you made, such as template redesign, online scheduling or a recall campaign
  • Explain what you measured before and after, like days to the next available visit
  • Mention how you got providers and front desk staff to go along with it
  • Say what you'd try first here after learning their current setup
7.How do you handle an angry patient at the front desk?

Why they ask

Staff escalate the hardest patients to you, and how you respond sets the tone for the whole office.

How to answer

  • Move the conversation away from the waiting room
  • Listen fully before explaining, and find out what actually went wrong
  • Fix what you can on the spot, such as a billing error or a rescheduled visit
  • Follow up with the staff member afterward and log the complaint
8.Tell us about a time you had to let someone go or put them on a performance plan.

Why they ask

Clinics are small, and a weak or toxic employee affects everyone. They need to know you'll act and do it properly.

How to answer

  • Describe the problem specifically and how long you coached before escalating
  • Explain how you documented it and involved HR or the owners
  • Say how you kept coverage and morale steady during the change
  • Share what you learned about hiring or onboarding from it
9.Which practice management and EHR systems have you used, and have you been through a conversion?

Why they ask

Software is how the practice runs, and a system switch is a risky project for any manager to lead.

How to answer

  • Name the systems you know, such as athenahealth, eClinicalWorks, Epic or Dentrix
  • Describe your role in a rollout or upgrade, including training and cutover
  • Mention how you protected cash flow and scheduling during the switch
  • Be honest about systems you haven't used and how fast you learned the last new one
10.How would you build the practice's annual budget?

Why they ask

Owners want a manager who plans spending, not one who just approves invoices.

How to answer

  • Start from past actuals for staffing, supplies, rent and vendor contracts
  • Build in expected changes like a new provider, a payer contract renewal or equipment leases
  • Review it with the owners or an accountant and agree on the targets
  • Explain how you'd track against it monthly and flag variances early

Part 3

11.Why do you want to manage this practice in particular?

Why they ask

They want to know you've looked at their specialty and setup and aren't just taking the next title.

How to answer

  • Mention something specific you learned about their specialty, size or patient base
  • Connect it to work you've done that fits their needs
  • Say what you'd want to learn in your first weeks before changing anything

Questions to ask them

Ask at least two. It shows you're picking them too.

  • What's the one part of the business side that keeps you up at night right now?
  • Is billing done in-house or by an outside company, and who owns the relationship?
  • How are decisions made between the owners, and who would I report to day to day?
  • What happened with the last person in this role?
  • Which reports do you look at each month, and which ones do you wish you had?

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