Medical Billing and Coding Interview Questions and Answers

Most medical billing and coding interviews last 30 to 60 minutes with a billing manager, a coding supervisor, or an office manager. Many employers also give a short coding test, where you pick the right codes for a few sample visits. They want to see that you are careful, that you know the code sets, and that you follow the rules.

Expect questions about how ICD-10-CM, CPT, and HCPCS codes differ, how you work a denied claim, and what you do when a doctor's note does not support a code. They also ask how you protect patient privacy, how you keep up with code changes each year, and how you balance speed with accuracy. Many coding jobs ask for experience, so the interview is where a new grad shows they can do the work. A clear answer about a coding scenario, said out loud, goes a long way.

Every Medical Billing and Coding employer is checking for the same few things:

• Accuracy. You check your codes against the note, catch your own mistakes, and do not guess.
• Code set knowledge. You know which code set is for what, and you use the code books or software to look things up the right way.
• Honesty and compliance. You code only what the record supports, even when someone asks you to code higher.
• Problem solving on claims. You find out why a claim was denied, fix it, and send it back before the deadline.
• Privacy. You protect patient records and share them only with people who need them for their job.

Have one true story ready for each line above. Most of the questions below are asking for one of them.

These are the questions Medical Billing and Coding interviews ask most, with what the interviewer is checking and what a strong answer includes.

1. Tell me about yourself and why you chose medical billing and coding.
   What they are checking: Whether you have a real reason for this work and can say it in about a minute. A strong answer: Share why you like detail work and health care, name your training and credential, and end with why you want this job.
2. What is the difference between ICD-10-CM, CPT, and HCPCS codes?
   What they are checking: That you know the basic code sets. A strong answer: ICD-10-CM codes say what is wrong with the patient (the diagnosis). CPT codes say what the provider did (the procedure or service). HCPCS Level II codes cover supplies, equipment, drugs, and some services, often for Medicare.
3. Walk me through how you would code this visit.
   What they are checking: How you think through a real chart, out loud. A strong answer: Read the whole note first. Find the main reason for the visit, code the diagnosis, then the service and any modifiers. Check the codes in the book or software, and say what you would ask the provider if something is missing.
4. How would you handle a denied claim?
   What they are checking: Whether you can find the problem and fix it. A strong answer: Read the denial reason code, check the claim against the record, and look for common causes like a wrong code, a missing modifier, an eligibility problem, or a missing prior authorization. Fix it and resubmit or appeal before the filing deadline, and note what happened so it does not repeat.
5. What would you do if the doctor's note does not support the code they picked?
   What they are checking: That you code from the record and know how to ask the provider. A strong answer: Say you would not change the code on your own or guess. You would send the provider a short, neutral query asking them to clarify the note, following the office's query policy.
6. What would you do if someone asked you to code a visit at a higher level than the note supports?
   What they are checking: Honesty and knowing what upcoding is. A strong answer: Say you would code only what the record supports, explain that billing more than was done is fraud, and take it to your supervisor or the compliance officer if the pressure continued.
7. How do you protect patient privacy?
   What they are checking: That you know HIPAA in everyday terms. A strong answer: Give examples. Lock your screen, open only the records you need for your work, never share details by text or social media, and check who you are talking to before you discuss an account on the phone.
8. How do you stay accurate when you have a lot of charts to get through?
   What they are checking: How you balance speed and accuracy. A strong answer: Talk about a routine: read the full note, use a checklist for common errors, double-check modifiers, and slow down on hard charts. Say accuracy comes first and speed grows with practice.
9. How do you keep up with code changes?
   What they are checking: Whether you keep learning. A strong answer: Say ICD-10-CM updates every October and CPT every January. Name how you keep up, like your AAPC or AHIMA membership, continuing education, and payer newsletters.
10. What billing or health record software have you used?
    What they are checking: Whether you will need a lot of training on their tools. A strong answer: Name what you used in class or at work, like an electronic health record or a practice billing system. If it is not the one they use, say how fast you learned the last one.
11. How would you handle a patient who calls upset about a bill?
    What they are checking: Calm, clear talk with patients. A strong answer: Listen, look up the account, explain the charges and what insurance paid in plain words, and offer next steps like a payment plan or a call to the insurance company.
12. Tell me about a time you caught a mistake before it caused a problem.
    What they are checking: Attention to detail with a real example. A strong answer: Pick a short story from class, an externship, or any job. Say what you noticed, what you did, and how it turned out.
13. Are you comfortable working on your own, or remote?
    What they are checking: Whether you can stay focused without someone watching. A strong answer: Say how you plan your day, track your work, and ask questions when you are stuck. If the job is on site first, say you are glad to learn there.

Question: "How would you handle a denied claim?"

"In my externship at a family practice, I worked a denial for an office visit that came back from the insurance company. The reason code said the diagnosis did not support the service. I pulled the doctor's note and saw that the visit was for high blood pressure follow-up, but the claim only listed a code for a routine checkup. The right diagnosis was in the note; it just had not been put on the claim. I added the correct diagnosis code, checked the visit level against the note, and resubmitted the claim well before the filing deadline. It paid two weeks later. I also told my supervisor, and we added a step to check the diagnosis on follow-up visits before claims go out."

Why it works: It shows the full process a manager wants: read the reason, go back to the record, fix only what the record supports, meet the deadline, and stop the same error from coming back. It also uses a real externship example, which is how a new grad shows experience.

Use your own story, in the same shape: what was going on, what you did, and how it ended. The STAR method guide shows the shape step by step.

• Doctor's office or clinic. You often do both billing and coding, plus some front desk work. Expect questions about office visits, insurance checks, talking with patients about bills, and handling many tasks at once.
• Hospital. Coding jobs are often split into inpatient and outpatient. Inpatient coding usually needs experience and the CCS. Expect a longer coding test and questions about accuracy rates and audits.
• Billing company. You work claims for many practices at once. They ask about denials, appeals, working with many insurance companies, and hitting daily targets. Many of these jobs are remote.
• Insurance company. You review claims from the payer side. They ask about medical necessity, reading records, and following payer rules.

• Your externship or practicum counts. Name the setting, how many charts or claims you worked, and one problem you solved.
• Say your credential and when you earned it, like the CPC-A, CCA, or CBCS. If your exam is coming up, say the date.
• Front desk, customer service, and office jobs count. Checking insurance, taking payments, and handling upset callers are all part of billing.
• Many coders start in billing, registration, or scheduling. Say you are open to that job if it leads to coding, and ask how others moved up.

Still looking for training? Read how WIOA can pay for medical billing and coding training.

Near the end, they will ask if you have questions. Have two or three ready. Good ones for a Medical Billing and Coding job:

• Will I mostly bill, mostly code, or do both?
• Which specialties and visit types will I work on most?
• How do you measure accuracy and speed, and how are new staff trained?
• Is there a path from this job into coding or a hospital coding team?
• Do you help pay for continuing education or the next credential?

After the interview, send a thank-you email the same day. If the date they gave you passes, here is how to follow up after an interview. If they make an offer, use a salary negotiation email before you say yes.

The interview comes after the resume gets you the call. Put your license or training at the top, then the work that shows the habits this job screens for.

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Got a one-way video interview instead? See the one-way video interview guide.