Learn what skills and qualities interviewers are looking for from a health information management director, what questions you can expect, and how you should go about answering them.
The health information management (HIM) director is responsible for the maintenance and security of all medical records in a healthcare facility. The HIM director is also responsible for ensuring that the facility is in compliance with all state and federal regulations regarding the release of medical information.
If you’re applying for a job as an HIM director, you can expect to be asked a variety of HIM interview questions. These questions will assess your knowledge of the HIM field, as well as your ability to lead a team and manage projects. You may also be asked questions about your experience working with electronic health records (EHRs) and your ability to troubleshoot problems.
To help you prepare for your interview, we’ve compiled a list of sample HIM interview questions and answers.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a set of federal regulations that govern how healthcare providers store, transfer and protect patient information. The Privacy Rule governs the use and disclosure of protected health information (PHI), while the Security Rule covers physical and technical safeguards for electronic PHI.
The interviewer may ask this question to assess your knowledge of HIPAA rules and regulations as well as your ability to follow them. In your response, make sure to clearly define what HIPAA is and why it’s important to adhere to its guidelines.
Example: “Yes, I am familiar with the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. As someone who has worked in the field for many years, I understand the importance of protecting patients’ privacy and safeguarding their sensitive data.”
This question can help the interviewer determine if you have the qualities needed to be successful in this role. When answering, it can be helpful to mention a few of your most important skills and how they relate to the job.
Example: “I believe that one of the most important qualities for a health information management director is communication. This person needs to be able to communicate effectively with all members of their team as well as other departments within the organization. Another quality I think is important is problem-solving. A director should be able to solve any issues or concerns that arise during their workday. Finally, I think leadership is an essential skill for this position. As a leader, I would expect my employees to feel comfortable approaching me with questions or concerns.”
The interviewer may ask you this question to assess your leadership skills and how well you can work with others. Your answer should show that you value the opinions of clinical staff members and are willing to collaborate with them on projects.
Example: “I believe it’s important for health information management directors to maintain a good relationship with the clinical staff because they have valuable insights into patient care. I would encourage my team members to attend department meetings where we discuss new initiatives or changes in policy so they can provide their input. In turn, I would make sure to listen carefully to what they have to say and consider their suggestions when making decisions.”
The interviewer may ask this question to learn about your experience with specific software programs that are used in the health information management field. Use your answer to highlight any previous experience you have with data management systems and explain how it helped you succeed in your role.
Example: “In my last position as a health information manager, I worked closely with our hospital’s chief technology officer to implement new data management systems for patient records. We chose a system that would allow us to store electronic medical records while also keeping them secure from outside access. This allowed me to work with IT professionals to ensure all of our patients’ records were properly stored and accessible by authorized personnel.”
This question is an opportunity to show your ability to handle confidential information. When answering this question, it can be helpful to mention a specific situation and how you handled the privacy of patient information.
Example: “In my previous role as health information manager, I had to manage sensitive information on a daily basis. One time, I was working with a patient who was in the hospital for a serious illness. The patient’s family members were asking me questions about their loved one’s condition, but they didn’t want anyone else to know what was going on. I worked with them to create a plan where only those people that needed to know could access the information. This helped the patient feel more comfortable and allowed their family to get the answers they needed without sharing private details.”
This question is a great way to show your interviewer what you do on a daily basis and how it contributes to the overall success of the department. When answering this question, try to include as many activities as possible that showcase your skills and abilities.
Example: “If we were to visit my department, I would first introduce you to my team members who are all highly skilled professionals in their own right. We have weekly meetings where we discuss our progress and any challenges we’re facing. During these meetings, we also go over new patients and research opportunities for our staff. Each day, we work with each other to find solutions to problems and provide excellent care to our patients.”
This question can give the interviewer insight into how you handle conflict and your ability to resolve issues. Your answer should show that you are willing to speak up when necessary, but also that you know how to use tact and diplomacy in order to maintain positive relationships with others.
Example: “I would first ask the nurse why they entered the information incorrectly. If it was a simple mistake, I would tell them how to correct it. However, if there was a more serious issue, such as a lack of communication between the patient and their doctor, I would talk to the nurse privately about my concerns and offer to help find a solution.”
The interviewer may ask this question to assess your knowledge of the legal and ethical requirements that apply to healthcare information management. Use your answer to highlight any experience you have with these regulations, as well as how you would ensure compliance in your new role.
Example: “I understand the importance of maintaining patient confidentiality and ensuring HIPAA compliance at all times. In my previous position, I was responsible for overseeing our team’s compliance with HIPAA standards. I regularly reviewed our policies and procedures to make sure we were following best practices. I also trained staff members on privacy and security measures so they could perform their jobs safely.”
This question can help the interviewer determine your experience with training employees and developing a team. Use examples from past experiences to highlight your leadership skills, communication abilities and ability to train others on best practices for handling patient data.
Example: “In my current role as health information management director, I have had the opportunity to train new employees on how to handle confidential patient data. In our organization, we use an electronic medical record system that allows us to store all of our patients’ records in one place. However, when new employees join our team, they need to learn about HIPAA compliance and how to access patient data within the EMR system.
I hold weekly meetings where I introduce new hires to the company’s privacy policies and procedures for accessing patient data. During these meetings, I also provide an overview of the EMR system so that employees know how to navigate it.”
This question is a great way to determine how much importance the candidate places on efficiency. It also shows that you are aware of the hospital’s current processes and procedures. When answering this question, it can be helpful to mention specific times when the nurses were unable to access patient information in a timely manner and what steps you took to improve the situation.
Example: “I want the nurses to have immediate access to their patients’ medical history at all times. I once had a patient who was admitted for an emergency surgery. The nurse was unaware of his allergies to certain medications, which led to him having a severe allergic reaction after receiving treatment. After speaking with the staff, I learned that they often couldn’t access the patient’s medical history until after they had already started treating them.”
Complaints and compliments are an important part of the healthcare industry. They can help you improve your system for tracking them, which in turn helps you provide better care to patients. When answering this question, explain how you would use complaints and compliments to make improvements to your department or organization.
Example: “I think it’s important to track both compliments and complaints because they can be used as a resource for improvement. I would create a database where we could enter all incoming information about patient feedback. Then, I would have my team review the data monthly to see if there were any patterns that needed to be addressed. For example, if we received several complaints about long wait times, we could implement new procedures to reduce those wait times.”
An interviewer may ask this question to learn more about your audit process and how you use it to improve the quality of work within an organization. Use examples from past experiences to describe what steps you take when conducting an internal audit, including how you prioritize which areas to focus on first.
Example: “I start by identifying the most important aspects of a health information management department that I want to evaluate during my internal audit. In my last role, I conducted an internal audit every six months to ensure we were following best practices for recordkeeping and patient privacy. During each audit, I would review our current policies and procedures to make sure they aligned with industry standards and federal regulations. Then, I would check all records to see if they met these same criteria.”
Employers ask this question to learn more about your qualifications and why you are the best person for the job. Before your interview, make a list of all your skills and experiences that relate to the position. Think about what makes you unique compared to other candidates.
Example: “I am the most qualified candidate because I have extensive experience in managing teams and overseeing projects. In my previous role as health information management director, I managed a team of five employees who helped me create new policies and procedures for our department. My team and I also worked together to develop an online patient portal where patients could view their medical records and communicate with doctors.”
This question can help the interviewer determine your level of expertise with computer programming languages. If you have experience working as a health information management director, you may be familiar with multiple computer programming languages. However, if this is your first time in this role, it’s important to mention which ones you’re most comfortable using and express interest in learning new ones.
Example: “I’m most experienced with Java and C++, but I also know how to use HTML, JavaScript, PHP and SQL. As someone who has worked in this field for many years, I’ve found that these are the most useful computer programming languages when managing patient records.”
The interviewer may ask this question to assess your knowledge of data security and how you would apply it in the role. Use examples from your experience to explain what you think is most important about data security, and highlight any certifications or training you have that support your answer.
Example: “I believe the most important aspect of data security is ensuring that all employees understand their roles in maintaining confidentiality. I’ve seen instances where a single employee has lost a flash drive with sensitive information on it, which led to an entire department losing access to confidential records. In my last position, I developed a training program for new hires that included tips for protecting confidential information and ways to report breaches.”
This question can help the interviewer determine your knowledge of how often records should be updated to ensure they are accurate and up-to-date. Use examples from your experience to explain what you know about updating patient records, including when it’s appropriate to do so and why.
Example: “I believe that patient records should be updated as soon as possible after a change is made. For example, if a doctor makes an adjustment to a medication or treatment plan for a patient, I would update their record immediately to reflect this new information. This ensures that all staff members who access the patient’s record have the most recent information available to them.”
This question is an opportunity to show your problem-solving skills and ability to work with a team. Your answer should include the steps you would take to identify the bug, determine its cause and fix it.
Example: “I would first make sure that all of the patient information was backed up before I fixed the bug. Then, I would check for any other bugs in the system by running diagnostic tests on each module. If there are no other bugs, then I would look at the last time the bug occurred and see if there were any changes made around that time. If so, I would try to replicate those changes to find out what caused the bug.”