Top 7 Healthcare COO Interview Questions to Ask

The chief operating officer (COO) plays an important role in overseeing day-to-day operations at a healthcare facility. They work closely with other members of the executive board to ensure that priorities around finances, patient care, and organizational culture are being met. This is why it’s essential to prepare in-depth COO interview questions so you can bring the most talented candidate into your C-suite.

A detailed job description can attract quality candidates who are equipped to carry out the extensive duties of a COO, and checking current job listings can help you get a better understanding of the broader job market. However, you’ll be better able to assess how well a candidate’s leadership style aligns with the mission and values of your facility during the interview. To help you with the hiring process, we’ve put together the top interview questions you should ask your COO candidates.

Download the free healthcare COO evaluation form below to help you stay organized as you interview candidates.

Questions to Ask a COO in an Interview

The COO is a senior level position that typically requires several years of leadership and related healthcare experience. The ideal candidate should have strong skills in organization, delegation, and coordination, while also demonstrating an understanding of your facility’s culture. Here are seven essential COO interview questions (and answers to listen for) that will help bring these qualities to light.

1. How have your past experiences prepared you to be the COO of this facility?

This is a great starter question because the candidate can share aspects of their work history that are most relevant to this position and your facility’s operations. Not only does this allow them to sell their strengths, but it also sheds light on what qualities the candidate believes are important for leading your organization. This can help set the overall tone for the rest of the interview.

What to listen for:

• A range of business- or healthcare-related work experience that involves financial management and healthcare leadership responsibilities
• Evidence of strategic thinking and strong communication skills

Potential follow-up questions:

• What insights would you bring from that experience into this new position?
• How did that experience shape your leadership style?

2. Describe the steps you would take, within your first 30 days, to familiarize yourself with our facility’s operations and patient care priorities.

Executive-level managers are expected to have a strong understanding of the facility’s operations and goals. It’s important for candidates to have an efficient process for familiarizing themselves with expected duties, especially if you’re bringing in an outside hire.

This question can also help you assess a candidate’s ability to produce an organized, systematic approach to problem solving. Additionally, it highlights their enthusiasm and drive to adapt to your facility’s culture. In general, interview questions for chief operating officer applicants should be designed to help you envision how the individual would impact your facility, if chosen for the position.

What to listen for:

• A collaborative attitude toward staff and a commitment to upholding patient care standards
• An organized approach to the facility familiarization process

Potential follow-up questions:

• What would be a priority task for you as you learn about our healthcare organization?
• What tools and strategies do you use to ensure effective communication with other facility leaders?

3. A management leader notifies you that staff turnover rates in several departments have been high, affecting costs and care quality. If you were the COO, what would you do? Why?

One of the responsibilities of a COO is to ensure each department in a healthcare facility is functioning smoothly and independently. Any issues that can’t be solved at the department level will eventually work their way up to higher management, and it’s crucial that they’re comfortable with big-picture problem solving.

This chief operating officer interview question assesses a candidate’s skills in leadership and delegation. Providing a hypothetical case scenario such as staffing issues can also help you gauge how a candidate might utilize strategies to improve departmental operations.

What to listen for:

• Awareness of the cost of staff turnover and potential solutions
• Understanding of healthcare staff retention strategies

Potential follow-up questions:

• Have you improved nurse retention rates at hospitals or clinics in the past?
• What is your method of delegating tasks to facility managers?

4. Describe a time that you disagreed with another member of a healthcare leadership team and how you handled the situation.

The COO will be working very closely with other executive members, so a candidate must be able to function well within a team. This question allows you to assess their soft and hard skills in communication. It also clues you in to how they’d handle difficult situations that may occur in a senior role and their flexibility when accounting for multiple perspectives.

If you’re hiring to fill a position at a medical center or medium to large hospital, COO interview questions must assess interpersonal skills. Ideally, these leaders ensure cohesion among hospital departments. They may need to collaborate with other executives to make high-stakes decisions that affect a wide range of healthcare workers and patients.

What to listen for:

• An understanding of the need for professionalism when in the healthcare leadership role
• Strong communication skills, the ability to de-escalate conflicts, and a solution-focused mindset

Potential follow-up questions:

• In your experience, what are three traits of high-performing executive teams?
• Have you received any formal training in conflict resolution; if so, how has it served you?

5. As COO, what strategies would you use to balance patient care priorities with profit goals?

Leading a healthcare facility requires balancing different and sometimes competing priorities. A focus on both profits and care quality coincide to support the longevity of an organization. This is one of the most important COO interview questions for assessing a candidate’s ability to connect these two factors in a way that’s productive to your facility without compromising your values.

What to listen for:

• A drive to uphold high standards of patient care while pursuing the facility’s financial sustainability or success
• Evidence of integrity and moral standards that value patient wellbeing

Potential follow-up questions:

• Tell me about a time in the past when you had to balance patient outcomes with an organization’s financial objectives.
• How do you align short-term profit goals with long-term profit goals?

6. From your previous roles, can you give an example of a time you implemented a strategy that improved care delivery?

A candidate’s answer to this question can illustrate how they might utilize performance data to propose new strategies. Not only does this provide a tangible example from their previous experiences, but it also gives you a better idea of their critical thinking and organizational skills.

For instance, does their example touch on cost-effectiveness, patient satisfaction, or staff safety? The comprehensiveness of their answer can tell you about their ability to weigh factors that are integral to running a healthy facility.

Behavioral questions for COO interviews are also useful for predicting future actions and outcomes. Pay attention to the example the candidate gives, and assess whether a similar type of strategy could be implemented at your own facility.

What to listen for:

• Measurable improvements to patient outcomes at previous healthcare facilities
• Ability solve problems related to patient care delivery and collaborate with facility staff and stakeholders to develop solutions

Potential follow-up questions:

• What was your greatest achievement at your last job?
• What do you find most challenging about quality improvement initiatives?

7. How would your approach to the COO position align with our facility’s mission and values?

On top of facilitating operations to meet organizational goals, a COO should be able to exemplify the facility’s values. Asking COO interview questions like this allows you to assess how much the candidate has researched your organization, which showcases their interest and personal alignment with the role.

Additionally, the COO will be interacting with a wide variety of partners, staff, and patients throughout their time at the facility. As a recognizable face, it’s important for a candidate to embody the company’s mission in their day-to-day demeanor.

What to listen for:

• Awareness of the facility mission and values
• Evidence that the candidate’s professional values align with the facility’s values

Potential follow-up questions:

• What is one way your leadership style has changed over the last five years?
• Do you see yourself fitting in with the company culture we’ve established at this facility?

Find High Quality Candidates for Your Healthcare Team

Whether you’re wondering what COO interview questions to ask or have multiple positions to fill within your facility, we’ve got you covered. Post open positions to our healthcare-specific job board to connect with skilled healthcare professionals looking for their next career opportunity.