This job opportunity announcement (JOA) will be used to fill one (1) full-time and permanent Medical Records Administration Specialist vacancy at the Louisville, KY Veteran Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), with Business Office Service.

Duties

This position is located in the Health Information Management (HIM) Section of Business Office at the Robley Rex VA Medical Center. Medical Records Administration Specialist (MRAS) in 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. MRASs manage, preserve, analyze, and supervise the use of diagnostic and therapeutic health records/health information management. They develop policies and procedures and provide advice on the use of health records and health information management.

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: United States 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). Certification. Persons hired or reassigned to MRA positions in the GS-0669 series in VHA must meet one of the following: (*See DEFINITIONS in the Education section of this announcement for additional information) (1) *Coding Certification through AHIMA or AAPC.OR, (2) *HIM Certification through AHIMA.OR, (3) *Health Data Analyst Certification through AHIMA. Education or Experience: (1) Experience. Three 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, (2) 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.OR,(3) 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. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-05 to GS-11. Preferred Experience: AHIMA or AAPC Certification. MRAS, GS-05. None beyond the basic requirements. MRAS, GS-07. One year of creditable experience equal to the GS-05 or, Bachelor's degree in HIM with GPA of 3.0 or higher and demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of current classification systems, such as International Classification of Diseases, Current Procedural Terminology, and the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS). Ability to effectively communicate (written and verbal) with medical center staff, patients, and external entities. Ability to use data collection and analytical techniques for purposes of review, quality control, studies and analysis of health information. Ability to utilize computer applications with varied functions to produce a wide range of reports, to abstract records, collect and analyze data and present results in various formats. Ability to work independently, adapt to shifting priorities, and meet deadlines. MRAS, GS-09. One year creditable experience equal to the GS-7 or two full years of progressively higher level graduate education or a master's degree in a field directly related to HIM and demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of medical and legal requirements related to health information management and health records. Ability to provide technical advice and guidance on health information management practices. Skill in extracting data from various sources and analyzing health information to create reports. Skill in researching, interpreting, and applying health information management guidelines. Knowledge of performance and process improvement techniques to develop new or improved solutions in health information management. MRAS, GS-11. One year creditable experience equal to the GS-9 or three full years of higher-level graduate education or a Ph. D. in a field of HIM and demonstrate the following KSAs: Skill in performance and process improvement techniques to develop and implement new or improved solutions in health information management. 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. Ability to plan, justify, develop, evaluate, assess, monitor, and advise on current health information management processes and recommend changes in policies or procedures. Ability to determine and evaluate compliance with legal, ethical, and regulatory guidelines and accrediting bodies, as they apply to health information management. Ability to acquire, manage, analyze, interpret, and transform data into accurate, consistent, and meaningful information. References: VA Handbook 5005/130, Part II, Appendix G33 dated 05/28/2020. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. There is walking, bending and reaching required such as for filing or locating material, and carrying items such as reports, documents, and supplies. Entering data and word processing on a personal computer may result in physical problems from the effects of repetitive motion and eyestrain.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

DEFINITIONS.
a. Coding Certification. Mastery certification obtained through the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) or the American Association of Professional Coders (AAPC). To be acceptable for qualification, the specific certification must represent a comprehensive competency in the occupation. Stand-alone specialty certifications do not meet the definition of mastery level coding certification and are not acceptable for qualifications. Certification titles may change and certifications that meet the definition of mastery level coding certification may be added/removed by the above certifying bodies; however, current mastery level coding certifications include: Certified Coding Specialist (CCS), Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) - Physician-based (CCS-P), Certified Professional Coder (CPC), Certified Outpatient Coder (COC), and Certified Inpatient Coder (CIC).
b. 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.
c. Health Data Analyst Certification. This is limited to certification obtained through AHIMA. To be acceptable for qualifications, the specific certification must certify mastery in health data analysis. Certification titles may change and certifications that meet the definition of health data analyst certification may be added/removed by the above certifying body; however, current health data analyst certification includes Certified Health Data Analyst (CHDA).
d. Health Information Management (HIM) Certification. Higher-level health information management certification is limited to certification obtained through AHIMA. To be acceptable for qualifications, the specific certification must represent a comprehensive competency in the occupation. Certification titles may change and certifications that meet the definition of HIM certification may be added/removed by the above certifying body; however, current HIM certifications include Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) and Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA).
e. Journey Level. The full performance level for this qualification standard is non-supervisory GS-11 grade level.
f. Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience as a professional MRA is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, an MRA would receive one week of full-time credit for each two weeks of half-time work.
g. 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.

Contacts

• Address Robley Rex VA Medical Center 800 Zorn Avenue Louisville, KY 40206 US
• Name: Andrea Layman
• Phone: (858) 552-8585 X7050
• Email: [email protected]