Healthcare Technology Developer Interview Questions

Healthcare Information Systems

Understanding the core systems in healthcare environments:

• Electronic Health Records (EHR): Comprehensive patient health information systems
• Practice Management Systems (PMS): Administrative and financial functions
• Laboratory Information Systems (LIS): Managing lab tests and results
• Radiology Information Systems (RIS): Radiology workflow and imaging management
• Pharmacy Management Systems: Medication ordering, dispensing, and tracking

Healthcare Data Standards

Standards that enable interoperability between healthcare systems:

• HL7 (Health Level 7): Standards for exchanging clinical and administrative data
• FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources): Modern API-based standard
• DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine): Medical imaging standard
• SNOMED CT: Clinical terminology for documentation and reporting
• LOINC (Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes): Lab and clinical observation codes

Healthcare Regulations

Key regulations affecting healthcare technology development:

• HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act): Privacy and security rules
• HITECH Act: Promoting adoption of health information technology
• FDA Medical Device Regulations: Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) requirements
• 21 CFR Part 11: Electronic records and signatures requirements
• GDPR and Other Privacy Laws: International data protection regulations

Electronic Health Records

EHR systems are central to modern healthcare IT:

• EHR Data Models: Patient demographics, clinical documentation, orders, results
• Clinical Decision Support: Alerts, reminders, and evidence-based guidelines
• Order Entry Systems: CPOE (Computerized Physician Order Entry)
• Documentation Templates: Structured data capture for clinical notes
• Patient Portals: Secure patient access to health information

Healthcare Interoperability

Enabling systems to exchange and use healthcare data:

• HL7 v2 Messaging: Traditional pipe-delimited message format
• HL7 v3 and CDA: XML-based document standards
• FHIR RESTful APIs: Modern, web-based interoperability
• HIEs (Health Information Exchanges): Regional data sharing networks
• Integration Engines: Mirth Connect, Rhapsody, InterSystems Ensemble

Healthcare Security & Privacy

Protecting sensitive patient information:

• PHI (Protected Health Information): Identifiable health data requiring protection
• Authentication & Authorization: Role-based access control in healthcare
• Audit Logging: Tracking access to patient information
• Data Encryption: At rest and in transit for PHI
• De-identification Techniques: Safe Harbor and Expert Determination methods

Medical Device Integration

Connecting medical devices to healthcare IT systems:

• Device Connectivity: Protocols for medical device integration
• Medical Device Data Systems (MDDS): Storage and transfer of device data
• Patient Monitoring: Real-time data collection and alerting
• Point-of-Care Testing: Integration of bedside diagnostic devices
• Medical IoT: Connected medical devices and wearables

Healthcare Domain Knowledge

• Explain the difference between an EMR and an EHR system.
• What are the key components of a healthcare information system?
• How would you design a system to support clinical workflows in a hospital setting?
• What challenges exist in healthcare data exchange and interoperability?
• How does the healthcare revenue cycle work and what systems support it?

Healthcare Standards & Interoperability

• Compare HL7 v2, HL7 v3, and FHIR standards.
• How would you implement a FHIR-based API for a healthcare application?
• Explain the structure of a DICOM image file and how it differs from standard image formats.
• How would you design a system that needs to integrate with multiple EHR systems?
• What approaches would you use to map clinical data between different terminology systems?

Healthcare Regulations & Compliance

• What are the key HIPAA requirements that affect healthcare software development?
• How would you implement audit logging to comply with regulatory requirements?
• Explain the concept of "minimum necessary" in HIPAA and how it affects application design.
• What considerations are important when designing a patient portal that complies with privacy regulations?
• How would you approach the validation and verification process for a medical device software?

Technical Implementation

• How would you design a high-availability architecture for a critical healthcare application?
• What approaches would you use to handle large volumes of medical imaging data?
• How would you implement a secure messaging system for provider-to-provider communication?
• Describe your approach to testing healthcare applications with complex clinical workflows.
• How would you design a system that needs to process and analyze real-time patient monitoring data?

Healthcare Data & Analytics

• How would you design a clinical data warehouse for population health analytics?
• What approaches would you use to de-identify patient data for research purposes?
• How would you implement a predictive model for clinical decision support?
• Describe the challenges in aggregating patient data from multiple sources.
• How would you design a reporting system for quality measures and regulatory compliance?

EHR Systems & Platforms

• Epic: Comprehensive EHR system with extensive modules and APIs
• Cerner: Enterprise healthcare platform with open developer program
• Allscripts: EHR with developer program and FHIR API support
• MEDITECH: Integrated EHR system for hospitals and health systems
• OpenEMR: Open-source electronic medical record system

Healthcare Integration Tools

• Mirth Connect (NextGen Connect): Open-source integration engine
• InterSystems Ensemble/IRIS: Integration platform for healthcare
• Rhapsody Integration Engine: Healthcare data exchange platform
• Redox: API platform for healthcare interoperability
• Datica: Compliant API integration services

Healthcare Development Frameworks

• HAPI FHIR: Java implementation of the FHIR standard
• SMART on FHIR: Framework for healthcare apps that run against EHRs
• CDS Hooks: Clinical decision support integration standard
• dcm4che: Collection of open source applications for healthcare imaging
• OpenHIE: Framework for health information exchange

Healthcare Cloud Platforms

• Google Cloud Healthcare API: Managed services for healthcare data
• AWS Healthcare: HIPAA-eligible services and healthcare solutions
• Microsoft Azure API for FHIR: Managed FHIR service
• IBM Watson Health: AI and analytics for healthcare
• Salesforce Health Cloud: Patient relationship management

Clinical Care Systems

Technology supporting direct patient care:

• Electronic health record (EHR) systems
• Computerized physician order entry (CPOE)
• Clinical decision support systems (CDSS)
• Medication administration systems
• Care coordination and care management platforms

Telehealth & Remote Care

Technology enabling care delivery outside traditional settings:

• Video consultation platforms
• Remote patient monitoring systems
• Store-and-forward telemedicine
• Virtual care delivery platforms
• Remote therapeutic monitoring solutions

Healthcare Analytics & AI

Data-driven insights and intelligence in healthcare:

• Population health management platforms
• Clinical analytics and quality reporting
• Predictive analytics for patient deterioration
• Medical imaging analysis and computer-aided diagnosis
• Natural language processing for clinical documentation

Digital Health & Patient Engagement

Technology empowering patients in their healthcare journey:

• Patient portals and personal health records
• Mobile health (mHealth) applications
• Digital therapeutics and prescription digital health
• Wearable health devices and consumer health tracking
• Patient education and engagement platforms

Healthcare Operations

Technology supporting the business of healthcare:

• Revenue cycle management systems
• Healthcare supply chain management
• Staff scheduling and workforce management
• Healthcare facility management systems
• Healthcare cybersecurity and compliance solutions