Healthcare Administration Interview

1. D a r i u s S a m i i – P i e d m o n t O r t h o p a e d i c A s s o c i a t e s
Informational Interview
of:

2. 1. What personal qualities or abilities are
important to being successful?
• “Organization and multi-tasking are key qualities of any candidate.
Supervisors, managers and administrators are constantly pulled in multiple
directions with several ongoing tasks at any given moment. Staying on top
of and managing all the work is not only important but necessary to be
successful.”

3. 2. What areas of knowledge are most
important for advancement in this field?
• “As an administrator or supervisor in this field your scope of knowledge
must be wider than those around you. Information technology,
advancements in medical practices, best billing practices, accounting, and
Six Sigma are all key areas that one must keep abreast of. Constant
advancements in technology, and the medical field make it a requirement to
proficient in these areas and accounting and Six Sigma will make any good
leader that much more adept at project management.”

4. 3. What degrees? Certification?
• “While not necessary, a Masters is looked upon more
favorably these days to anyone applying for higher level
positions. Certifications with AAPC and Six Sigma, as well as
Fellowship through MGMA are all being required more and
more for high level management at top organizations.”

5. 4. What do you do on a typical day in this
position?
• “A lot of the day to day work involves issues or problems that have sprung
up recently. Resolving them and making sure the office is functioning at
peak performance is always priority number one. Another portion of the
day is spent speaking with employees about any issues or concerns they
may have. Finally, building reports and analyzing data for ongoing projects
takes up another large chunk of the work day for any Administrator.”

6. 5. What part of this job do you find the most
challenging or satisfying?
• “There are a lot of “fires” that spring up. I find these to be the most
challenging and satisfying part of the job. Resolving emergency issues
with a calm collected mind is a great feeling.”

7. 6. What are the "hot issues" in this field?
• “Government regulations and advancements in information technology are
always big topics in the healthcare field. Staying on top of these is difficult
task but very manageable. The biggest “hot issue” in this field is the
consistent decrease in reimbursements thereby causing a yearly 1%
decrease in gross revenue. As an Administrator it is your task to negate this
through decreases in expenditures as well as procuring other revenue
sources.”

8. 7. What is a typical starting salary? Average
salary? Other benefits?
• “An Assistant Administrator in this area of the country starting salary is
about $60,000 with a median at $80,700. Administrators are starting at
around $75,000 with a median around $99,000. Pay dependent on
specialty and size of the practice. Benefits include paid time off,
healthcare, and retirement contributions.”

9. 8. What are some of the rewards of your
occupation?
• “With any healthcare position the rewards are working with individuals
who are sick or injured and being able to help or assist them on a daily
basis. Working closely with physicians to provide reasonable, affordable
healthcare.”

10. 9. What are the geographic restrictions in this
field? How much are you required to travel?
• “Travel is minimal and may be just between offices or occasionally to a
conference.”

11. 10. What are the problems you see working in
this field?
• “Advancement is difficult with many office administrators staying in place
and maintaining positive net revenue is also increasingly difficult with the
constant changes and drops in reimbursement.”

12. 11.What is the "corporate culture" here i.e. is it formal,
informal, do people work autonomously, does everyone come
early, stay late?
• “The corporate culture is more of a subdivided team environment here.
Each area working together as a smaller group to accomplish their tasks for
the day. Interactions are typically informal on a daily basis but formal when
necessary. Culture and “work ethic” can be seen generationally. Employees
from older generations typically come in earlier and work later while newer
generation employees come in on time and leave on time.”

13. 12. What are the toughest challenges you face
in the organization?
• “Challenges in the organization are the same faced in the field.
Maintaining positive net revenue is probably the toughest challenge and
most projects will revolve, in some way, around this goal.”

14. 13.What opportunities for advancement are there in this
field? How will this job change over the next 5 years? 10
years?
• “Much advancement takes place through the hospital systems as practice
and office administrators are typically set in place for long periods of time.
This profession has already begun to change as the landscape of healthcare
has changed. More and more hospitals are purchasing and acquiring
smaller practices, this is evolving the administration jobs into multi-
specialty or multi-office jobs where one individual is responsible for
several offices.”

15. 14. What, if anything, do you wish you had
known before you entered this occupation?
• “The only information I wish I knew before entering was how the
interaction between hospitals and practices currently worked and in which
direction it was evolving. This can be a tricky area as an administrator for
a practice looking out for the bottom dollar, but hired by the hospital and
have their interests at heart as well.”

16. 15. What are the professional journals in this
field that I should read?
• “The MGMA, AAPC, and a medical journal for the specific sub-specialties
you are administrating are perfect starting points for any good
Administrator. These organizations, and the materials that they produce,
will give good, well rounded information for those in the medical field and
cover the different realms of responsibility for an Administrator.”