How would you handle a patient that indicates they may not be able to immediately afford care and don't have insurance coverage?

This is a great example of a question that can benefit from research before the interview. Whether your end goal is to go into private practice or practice as part of a larger private clinic, you should be aware of what other current practices do when patients cannot immediately afford services.

"I understand why this can be tricky in today's healthcare system. Way too many people are uninsured and underinsured, and that is surely unfortunate. From my perspective, my duty as a future physician is first to the patient and their needs. If the patient's life and immediate well-being are dependent on my care, I would move forward with that care. It wouldn't matter if this was in the emergency room, operating room, or clinical setting. Doing what is right for them is number one in my book. I know that hospitals and healthcare systems have an administration that works through policies on billing, payment plans, and even pro-bono work for patients that can't afford care, and I would let that be handled after the fact. I would love to hear more about your policies in this situation. Can you elaborate more on that?"

To answer a question like this in the six to eight minutes allotted, focus on the fact that you are obligated to do what is right for the patient first and worry about collecting payment for services later. How this is handled in an emergency versus a clinical setting may be different. In a clinical, non-emergency situation, you can and should make it abundantly clear that you would help the patient understand the billing and payment policies upfront. Drawing from past experiences is a great thing to do in an MMI interview like this. If you have experienced a similar issue collecting payment in a previous job, talk about how you navigated the situation directly and compassionately.