Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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• 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 training for HIM, clinical and administrative staff on HIM topics.
• Designs and performs quality improvement projects regarding HIM issues.
• Assists the Chief of HIM 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 the 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), the Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW), and Power Business Intelligence (BI), 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.
• As a member of the local Revenue Cycle/Charge Services Team, interacts with clinical/ancillary staff to ensure that charge order items, represented by HCPCS/CPT codes, accurately reflect services provided.
• Coordinates with Revenue Cycle staff on CPT/HCPCS coding and Charge Description Master (CDM) maintenance updates to coincide with the code set updates.
• Researches the status of encounters and charges requiring additional action and identifies missing charges (e.g., monitoring action required or encounters without charges).
• Facilitates resolution by coordinating awareness of issues to be resolved for encounters on hold and suspended charges requiring facility actions. Supports validation of clinical data and encounter accuracy.
• Provides clarification and assistance to clinical staff regarding appropriate workload capture.
• Facilitates correction of clinical documentation issues that result in encounter charge errors.
• Identifies and facilitates correction of registration data errors to ensure encounter accuracy (encounter type, encounter dates, clinical service, insurance, eligibility, etc.).
• May review and test HIM related software patches; test and troubleshooting EHR menu options and functional issues when HIM users report application errors; perform equipment needs analysis for new or replacement equipment and/or equipment repair; submit work orders or Remedy tickets for correction to HIM software errors.
• Serves as point of contact for health record corrections to ensure documentation accurately reflects care delivered and reported.
• Collaborates on improperly identified documents with clinicians, Clinical Applications Coordinators (CACs) and others who report problems.
• Provides education when dealing directly with physicians, nurses and other clinical providers requesting completion or adjustment of pertinent parts of the health records, which are found to be inconsistent or incomplete upon analysis.
• Assists and provides guidance to supporting clinical services to capture required medical information on patients for computer database input.
• Selects, compiles and trends medical, surgical, and statistical data from numerous components of the health record.
• Retrieves diagnostic and statistical data for various reports required locally or by VISN or VHA Central Office.
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm
Telework: Ad hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

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.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• 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).

• 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.

Certification. Persons hired or reassigned to MRA positions in the GS-0669 series in VHA must meet one of the following:

• (1) Coding Certification through AHIMA or AAPC.

OR,

• (2) HIM Certification through AHIMA.

OR,

• (3) Health Data Analyst Certification through AHIMA.

GRADE REQUIREMENTS.

Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the 5 following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Medical Records Administration Specialist, GS-11

Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level 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 Knowledges, Skills, and Abilities
(a) Skill in [performance] and process improvement [techniques to develop and implement new or improved solutions in health information management.
(b) 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.
(c) Ability to plan, justify, develop, evaluate, assess, monitor, and advise on current health information management processes and recommend changes in policies or procedures.
(d) Ability to determine and evaluate compliance with legal, ethical, and regulatory guidelines and accrediting bodies, as they apply to health information management.
(e) Ability to acquire, manage, analyze, interpret, and transform data into 8 accurate, consistent, and meaningful information.

Preferred Experience: Mid-level experience in Health Information Management and Associates in HIM is preferred.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.