Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. Open to current, permanent Department of Veterans Affairs employees.

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• Selects and assigns codes from the current version of several coding systems to include ICD, CPT, and/or HCPCS. Assigns codes to documented patient care encounters (inpatient and outpatient) covering the full range of health care services provided by the VAMC. Patient encounters are often complicated and complex requiring extensive coding expertise. Applies advanced knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy & physiology, disease processes, treatment modalities, diagnostic tests, medications, procedures as well as the principles and practices of health services and the organizational structure to ensure proper code selection.
• Adheres to accepted coding practices, guidelines and conventions when choosing the most appropriate diagnosis, operation, procedure, ancillary, or Evaluation and Management (E/M) code to ensure ethical, accurate, and complete coding. Applies codes based on guidelines specific to certain diagnoses, procedures, and other criteria (in inpatient and outpatient settings) used to classify patients under the Veterans Equitable Resource Allocation (VERA) program that categorizes all VA patients into specific classes representing their clinical conditions and resource needs.
• Assists facility staff with documentation requirements to completely and accurately reflect the patient care provided. Provides technical support in the areas of regulations and policy, coding requirements, resident supervision, reimbursement, workload, accepted nomenclature, and proper sequencing. Ensures provider documentation is complete and supports the diagnoses and procedures coded. Directly consults with the professional staff for clarification of conflicting or ambiguous clinical data. Reports incorrect documentation or codes in the electronic patient health record.
• Utilizes the facility computer system and software applications to correctly code, abstract, record, and transmit data to the national VA databases. Corrects any identified data errors or inconsistencies in a timely manner to ensure acceptance in the national VA database within established timelines. Independently researches references to resolve any questionable code errors, contacts supervisor as appropriate.
• Orients and instructs new personnel and/or students from affiliated health information or medical record technology programs, at the direction of the supervisor, on unit operations, coding, abstracting, and use of an electronic health record.

May be assigned one or more of the following regular or recurring duties:

• Identifies the principal diagnosis and principal procedure (when applicable) for every inpatient discharge, also identifies significant complications and/or co-morbidities treated or impacting treatment to correctly determine the proper Diagnosis Related Group (DRG). Upon patient admission to the Community Living Center/Nursing Home Care Unit, codes the admission diagnosis for use by unit staff. All diagnoses and procedure codes are selected from the current version of the ICD coding system.
• Conducts re-reviews of codes abstracted for patient encounters (inpatient and outpatient) identified by the VERA committee to determine if based on the documentation the specific VERA coding requirements were followed; corrects coding as needed to ensure proper patient classification in the VERA program.
• Establishes the primary and secondary diagnosis and procedure codes for outpatient professional and technical fee encounters following applicable regulations, instructions, and requirements for allowable reimbursement; links the appropriate diagnosis to the procedure and/or determines level of E/M service provided. Understands the nuances of the CPT coding system for Third Party Insurance cost recovery and accurately interprets instructional notations; bundles encounters when appropriate; uses established processes to communicate potential billing issues to Consolidated Patient Account Center (CPAC) staff.
• Codes all identified surgical procedures; applies ICD and CPT coding guidelines and selects proper codes using the current code set and the encoder product suite; adds Anesthesia and Pathology codes for all billable surgical cases, which may involve creating the encounters.
• Updates codes for current inpatient and Contract Nursing Home admissions for quarterly census and as directed for billable long stay (30+ days) admissions to reflect all patient conditions and care up to the census date or to the requested billing date.
• May be required to review and enter coded data from paid Community Care claims using documentation (e.g., hard-copy claims) obtained from non-VA facilities.

Work Schedule: 8:00 am-4:30 pm Monday-Friday
Telework: Not applicable, this is a remote position
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 00000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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.
• 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:

• U.S. Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Experience & Education: Must meet ONE of the following
  1. Experience One year of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, medical coding, and the structure and format of a health records;
  2. Education An associate's degree from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education with a major field of study in health information technology/health information management, or a related degree with a minimum of 12 semester hours in health information technology/health information management (e.g., courses in medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, medical coding, and introduction to health records);
  3. Education Completion of an AHIMA approved coding program, or other intense coding training program of approximately one year or more that included courses in anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, basic ICD diagnostic/procedural, and basic CPT coding. The training program must have led to eligibility for coding certification/certification examination, and the sponsoring academic institution must have been accredited by a national U.S. Dept. of Education accreditor, or comparable international accrediting authority at the time the program was completed;
  4. Experience/Education Combination Equivalent combinations of creditable experience and education are qualifying for meeting the basic requirements. The following educational/training substitutions are appropriate for combining education and creditable experience:
     • Six months of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, general understanding of medical coding and the health record, and one year above high school, with a minimum of 6 semester hours of health information technology courses.
     • Successful completion of a course for medical technicians, hospital corpsmen, medical service specialists, or hospital training obtained in a training program given by the Armed Forces or the U.S. Maritime Service, under close medical and professional supervision.

Certification: Must have either 1, 2, or 3 below:

1. Apprentice/Associate Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC.
2. Mastery Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC.
3. Clinical Documentation Improvement Certification through AHIMA or ACDIS.

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:

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

GS-4

• Experience or Education. None beyond basic requirements.

GS-5

• Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level;
• Education. Successful completion of a bachelor's degree 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 technology.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  1. Ability to use health information technology and software products used in MRT (Coder) positions (e.g., the electronic health record, coding and abstracting software, etc.).
  2. Ability to navigate through and abstract pertinent information from health records.
  3. Knowledge of the ICD CM, PCS Official Conventions and Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, and CPT guidelines.
  4. Ability to apply knowledge of medical terminology, human anatomy/physiology, and disease processes to accurately assign codes to inpatient and outpatient episodes of care based on health record documentation.
  5. Knowledge of The Joint Commission requirements, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and/or health record documentation guidelines.
  6. Ability to manage priorities and coordinate work to complete duties within required timeframes, and the ability to follow-up on pending issues.

GS-6

• Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  1. Ability to analyze the health record to identify all pertinent diagnoses and procedures for coding and to evaluate the adequacy of the documentation.
  2. Ability to determine whether health records contain sufficient information for regulatory requirements, are acceptable as legal documents, are adequate for continuity of patient care, and support the assigned codes. This includes the ability to take appropriate actions if health record contents are not complete, accurate, timely, and/or reliable.
  3. Ability to apply laws and regulations on the confidentiality of health information (e.g., Privacy Act, Freedom of Information Act, and HIPAA).
  4. Ability to accurately apply the ICD CM, PCS Official Conventions and Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, and CPT Guidelines to various coding scenarios.
  5. Comprehensive knowledge of current classification systems, such as ICD CM, PCS, CPT, HCPCS, and skill in applying classifications to both inpatient and outpatient records based on health record documentation.vi. Knowledge of complication or comorbidity/major complication or comorbidity (CC/MCC) and POA indicators to obtain correct MS-DRG.

SEE EDUCATION SECTION BELOW FOR GS-7 AND GS-8 Grade Requirements

Preferred Experience: Outpatient coding

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-4 to GS-8.

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

How you will be evaluated

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

Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility.
2. All other VA employees.

*NOTE: Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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.