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Summary This position is located in the Health Information Management (HIM) Section of Patient Administrative Service at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center (VAMC). Medical Records Administration Specialist (MRAS) in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) perform work concerned with the management of a health record program or the provision of services related to medical record administration/health information services. Responsibilities Duties include: Assists the Chief, Health Information Management (CHIM) and the HIM Department in identifying and setting short and long-range goals, program objectives, and tasks to meet the mission and vision of the VAMC. Provides subject matter expertise to Service Line Leaders, and medical center staff. Interprets and applies The Joint Commission (TJC) standards, VHA regulations and medico-legal requirements; current federal codes pertinent to health records; VHA policy memoranda, directives, handbooks and program guides pertinent to health information management; medical coding (ICD, CPT, HCPCS) and reimbursement methodologies; medical and procedural terminology; anatomy and physiology; regulations governing confidentiality of health records; release of information laws and statutes; and all policies/procedures pertaining to VHA health records. Provides training for HIM, clinical and administrative staff on HIM topics. Designs and performs quality improvement projects regarding HIM issues. Assists the CHIM in preparing and conducting various presentations. Keeps current on emerging issues and trends in the HIM field, including process improvement initiatives, the electronic health record (EHR), coding and computer-assisted coding, the revenue cycle, release of information and privacy issues, records management, medical speech recognition, transcription and data entry, and health information exchange. Keeps HIM and clinical staff abreast of changing technology in electronic systems used to collect, process, code, protect and store health information. Participates in various VAMC, VISN and national committees requiring HIM subject matter expertise. Performs audits and analyses, preparing and presenting findings and recommendations to the CHIM, Service Line Leaders and medical staff. Assures the accuracy and timeliness of the capturing of patient services charges (workload) in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations. Reviews, analyzes and reports HIM performance monitors. Advises Principal Investigators and other clinical staff on methodologies related to retrieval of health care data for specific studies. Performs data retrieval for special studies as needed. Utilizes advanced knowledge of VHA data sources, such as VHA Support Service Center (VSSC) and the Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW), to complete analyses of VA Medical Center data. Analyzes and evaluates on a quantitative basis, the effectiveness of the HIM program and operations in meeting established goals and objectives. Analyzes program performance data to identify areas needing improvement. Serves as point of contact for health record corrections to ensure documentation accurately reflects care delivered and reported. Documentation corrections may consist of retracting erroneous notes, re-titling notes, assigning notes to or removing from consult requests. Collaborates on improperly identified documents with clinicians, Clinical Applications Coordinators (CACs) and others who report problems. Reassigns, rescinds, and removes documents when they have been entered or uploaded incorrectly. Exercises independent judgment in carrying out duties and responsibilities. Operates within context of overall agency policy and agency goals. Perform other assigned duties. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30p Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements The following are the basic requirements and qualifications for this position at the entry level. Citizenship. [Candidates must be a citizen] of the United States. Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified candidates in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a). English Language Proficiency. MRAs must be proficient in spoken and written English. See 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Experience: Three (3) years of creditable experience in the field of medical records that included the preparation, maintenance, and management of health records and health information systems demonstrating a knowledge of medical terminology, medical records, procedures, medical coding, or medical administrative, and legal requirements of health care delivery systems. OR Education: Successful completion of a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, with a major field of study in health information management, or a related degree with a minimum of 24 semester hours in health information management or health information technology. Transcripts Required. OR Experience/Education Combination: Equivalent combinations of creditable experience and education that equals 100 percent may be used to meet basic requirements. For example, two years above high school from an accredited college or university with 12 semester hours in health information technology/health information management, plus one year and six months of creditable experience that included the preparation, maintenance, and management of health records and health information systems meets an equivalent combination. Certification Requirement: Persons hired or reassigned to MRA positions in the GS-0669 series in VHA must meet one of the follow: Copy of certification required. (1) Coding Certification through AHIMA or AAPC. NOTE See paragraph 2a above for a detailed definition of Coding Certification. OR, (2) HIM Certification through AHIMA. NOTE. See paragraph 2d above for a detailed definition of HIM Certification. OR, (3) Health Data Analyst Certification through AHIMA. Grandfathering Provision. [ ] All persons employed in VHA [as an MRA] are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held, including positive education, and [registration and/or] certification [ ] that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements [ ] in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed [ ], the following provisions apply: [(1)] Such employees may be reassigned, promoted up to, and including, the full performance ([journeyman]) level, or [changed to lower grade] within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the [journeyman] level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. [(2)] Employees who [were] appointed on a temporary basis, prior to the effective date of the qualification standard, may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. [(3)] Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/[registration/]certification[, and] meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard, must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. [(4) MRAs who are converted to title] 38 [hybrid status] under this provision [and subsequently leave the] occupation [lose] protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry [, as a medical records administrator]. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. GS-11 Grade Determination: In addition to the basic requirements above the following is the amount of experience and certification required to qualify for the Medical Record Administrative position at the GS-11 grade level. Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-9) that demonstrates all of the KSAs described at that level. OR Education: Education equivalent to three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or a Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited university or college in the field of health information management. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities KSAs. (1) Skill in [performance] and process improvement [techniques to develop and implement new or improved solutions in health information management. (2) Ability to advise management and staff, at various levels, regarding health record documentation requirements and health information management practices based on current industry standards, policies, statues, laws, and regulations. (3) Ability to plan, justify, develop, evaluate, assess, monitor, and advise on current health information management processes and recommend changes in policies or procedures. (4) Ability to determine and evaluate compliance with legal, ethical, and regulatory guidelines and accrediting bodies, as they apply to health information management. (5) Ability to acquire, manage, analyze, interpret, and transform data into accurate, consistent, and meaningful information. References: VA Handbook 5005/130, Part II, Appendix G33, Medical Records Administrator/Medical Records Administration Specialist Qualification Standards, 5/28/2020. Creditable Experience: Experience is only creditable if it is in health information management and is directly related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, the candidate's experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current practice. Experience satisfying this requirement must be active practice, which is paid/non-paid employment as an MRT/MRA or related field such as medical coding, qualitative and quantitative health record analysis, Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act privacy and release of information, or preparation, maintenance, and management of health records. Quality of Experience: To be creditable, experience must be documented on the application or resume and verified in an employment reference or through other independent means. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary, but may require walking, bending, standing, and /or carrying of light items such as files and manuals. The work does not require any special physical effort or ability. Work Environment: The work area is usually an adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated office or medical facility setting. The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.