A Software Engineer at Modernizing Medicine (often referred to as ModMed) plays a critical role in transforming healthcare through technology. The company’s mission is to modernize medicine by delivering cloud-based, specialty-specific electronic health records (EHR), practice management, and revenue cycle management systems. As an engineer here, you will write the code that directly reduces administrative burdens for doctors, allowing them to focus more of their energy on patient care.

In this role, you will work on highly scalable, secure, and compliant cloud architectures. You will contribute to core products like EMA, their award-winning EHR system, which processes massive volumes of medical data daily. This requires a deep focus on system reliability, database optimization, and intuitive user interfaces. The engineering team operates in a fast-paced, collaborative environment where clinical domain knowledge meets modern software practices like microservices, cloud computing, and real-time data streaming.

Joining ModMed means tackling complex technical challenges surrounding data privacy, HIPAA compliance, and system integration. Your work will have a direct, tangible impact on thousands of medical practices and millions of patients across the United States. It is a highly rewarding environment for engineers who are passionate about solving real-world problems and driving meaningful innovation in the healthcare technology sector.

The following questions are representative of what you can expect during the Software Engineer interview process at Modernizing Medicine. These questions are drawn from real candidate experiences and are designed to test your core technical capabilities, problem-solving methodologies, and behavioral alignment.

Core Java & Object-Oriented Programming

This category evaluates your fundamental understanding of Java, memory management, object-oriented design patterns, and core language features.

• What are the primary differences between an ArrayList and a LinkedList, and when would you use one over the other?
• How does garbage collection work in Java, and how can you optimize memory usage in a high-throughput application?

To succeed in the Modernizing Medicine interview process, you must prepare a balanced strategy that addresses both technical proficiency and communication skills. The hiring team looks for candidates who are not just competent coders, but active problem solvers who can articulate their thoughts clearly.

Technical Execution – You must demonstrate a strong command of core Java, database fundamentals, and system design. Be prepared to explain the underlying mechanics of the frameworks and languages you use, rather than just how to write basic syntax.

Problem-Solving & Rigor – Interviewers place a high premium on how you approach algorithmic challenges. You are expected to write clean, maintainable code, explain your trade-offs, and proactively identify and handle corner cases before declaring your solution complete.

Presentation & Communication – Unlike many standard engineering interviews, ModMed frequently evaluates your presentation capabilities. You may be asked to deliver a mock presentation or walk a panel through a design, meaning you must be able to translate complex technical concepts into structured, easy-to-understand narratives.

Cultural Alignment – The company values collaboration, transparency, and a passion for healthcare innovation. Be ready to discuss how you navigate team dynamics, handle feedback, and stay motivated when working on products that impact patient care.

The interview process at Modernizing Medicine is designed to be thorough, evaluating your technical skills, presentation capabilities, and cultural alignment over several distinct stages. The typical timeline can span from a couple of weeks to over a month, depending on the role level and location.

The process begins with an initial HR screening call to discuss your background, work authorization, and alignment with the job description. This is followed by a technical screening with a hiring manager or an online assessment. If you pass these initial stages, you will move on to more intensive technical rounds, which often include live coding sessions, system design discussions, and potentially a take-home assignment or mock presentation.

The visual timeline above outlines the typical progression from the initial recruiter screen to the final hiring decision. Candidates should interpret this as a multi-stage funnel where each step tests a different facet of your professional profile. Use this roadmap to pace your preparation, ensuring you allocate sufficient time for both coding practice and presentation rehearsal.

Java & Spring Boot Ecosystem

This area evaluates your depth of knowledge in enterprise-grade software development. Since ModMed relies heavily on Java-based microservices, you must demonstrate more than just a passing familiarity with the language.

Be ready to go over:

• Core Java Collections – Deep understanding of Map, List, and Set implementations, including performance characteristics and thread safety.
• Spring Boot & Microservices – Dependency injection, REST controllers, exception handling, and service discovery.
• Asynchronous Messaging – How to design event-driven systems using tools like Kafka or RabbitMQ.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Custom class loaders, JVM tuning, and concurrency utilities (java.util.concurrent).

Example scenarios:

• "Explain how you would debug a memory leak in a Spring Boot application running in a production environment."
• "Design a REST API endpoint that securely handles sensitive patient data, ensuring proper validation and error handling."

Data Structures & Algorithmic Rigor

The coding rounds at ModMed test your fundamental computer science knowledge. The interviewers expect structured, optimized, and complete solutions.

Be ready to go over:

• Data Structure Selection – Knowing when to use specialized structures like Stacks, Queues, Trees, or HashMaps to optimize time complexity.
• Edge Case Analysis – Proactively handling empty inputs, null pointers, out-of-bounds values, and large datasets.
• Time/Space Complexity – Articulating the Big-O performance of your code and discussing potential trade-offs.

Example scenarios:

• "Given a string containing parentheses, write an algorithm to determine if the input string is valid using a Stack, and handle all edge cases."
• "Optimize a search algorithm to run in logarithmic time instead of linear time, explaining the memory trade-offs."

Databases & Infrastructure

As a backend-focused engineer, your ability to design database schemas and interact with system infrastructure is crucial for maintaining application performance.

Be ready to go over:

• SQL Query Optimization – Writing complex joins, aggregations, and subqueries, and understanding how indexing affects query execution plans.
• Database Design – Normalization, transaction management, and handling concurrent writes in a relational database.
• Linux Command Line – Basic navigation, searching logs, checking system resources, and managing files on remote servers.

Example scenarios:

• "How would you write a SQL query to identify patients who have missed consecutive appointments, and how would you index the table to ensure this query runs efficiently?"
• "Walk me through the Linux commands you would use to find a specific error pattern in a 5GB application log file."

Presentation & Communication

One of the unique aspects of the Modernizing Medicine interview process is the emphasis on your ability to present and teach. This is often evaluated through a mock presentation or a code walkthrough.

Be ready to go over:

• Mock Presentations – Delivering a structured talk on a technical topic of your choice to demonstrate your communication style.
• Code Walkthroughs – Explaining your design decisions, architectural choices, and trade-offs in a clear, logical manner during a project review.
• Stakeholder Management – Translating technical concepts into business value for non-technical team members.

Example scenarios:

• "Present a software tool or architectural pattern of your choice, explaining its benefits, drawbacks, and real-world applications to a panel of engineers."