Clarification from the agency

Qualified candidates will be referred in the following order: 1) Current, permanent employees of VA Loma Linda. 2) Current, permanent employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 3) Current, permanent employees of other federal agencies. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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Major duties include but are not limited to the following;

• Incumbent is directly responsible to the Chief and Assistant Chief, Health Administration Service who give general objectives.
• Responsible for the administrative management of health records, which includes planning, managing, advising, and directing the health information program in accordance with applicable Federal laws, facility by-laws, VHA policy, The Joint Commission standards, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), and other regulatory and accrediting agencies.
• Responsible for all facets of health records management for the facility ensuring maintenance of complete, accurate, timely, clinically-pertinent, and readily-accessible patient health records, which contain sufficient recorded information to serve as a basis to plan patient care, support diagnoses, warrant treatment, measure outcomes, support education, research, and facilitate performance improvement processes and legal requirements.
• Provides detailed technical expertise in health records science and other very technical aspects of health information. Maintains all health information input into the local VistA database and assures timely transmission of that data into all VA centralized databases - most frequently those maintained at the Austin Data Processing Center.
• Serves as the Chair of the Medical Record Committee (MRC), to include preparing agendas and overseeing the processes that is relative to Joint Commission standards. In addition, the CHIM also serves as Chair to the Clinical Documentation Improvement Committee.
• Serves as the key advisor to the Chief of Staff, Executive Management, Program Managers, to include Administrative Officers (AOs), clinicians and is responsible for providing technical guidance on health information issues such as documentation requirements, liability issues, advance directives, informed consent, patient privacy and confidentiality, et cetera.
• The incumbent is a key member of the Quality Improvement (QI) team, works closely with QI personnel, and is responsible for assuring the facility is in compliance with all The Joint Commission standards regarding health information.
• Responsible for assuring all patients have a complete, accurate, and timely record of their medical care at the facility, as well as assure such information is appropriately stored and readily available for the provision of medical services to the patients.
• Incumbent is responsible for leading the automation of all health information systems.
• As a resource for the institution, incumbent conducts training programs in health information management, medical terminology, health record documentation, and medico-legal matters. Incumbent is responsible for establishing formal affiliation with university programs in health information and precepting students from such programs. Incumbent is also responsible for coordinating health information training for medical school students and residents to achieve conformance with prescribed standards.
• Incumbent provides direct support to Regional Counsel.
• The CHIM at this level has the full complement of HIM supervisory responsibility including coding, file room, scanning, release of information, clinic setup, creating local and managing electronic encounter forms, monitoring and managing and monitoring medical record (note suppression) and transcription and which consists of a mixture of HT38 (675 and 669) and T5 positions.
• Responsible for maintenance and evaluation of health records, and assuring legal requirements for care are met. Performs these duties as the facility expert but does not involve substantial line responsibility for establishing and implementing overall clinical policies.
• Plays a central role in developing and coordinating internal review systems to assure both clinical and administrative activities are in compliance with agency and accrediting and regulatory requirements.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm (Pacific Standard Time)
Telework: Adhoc (but Chief must be onsite or within 50 miles from Loma Linda VAMC).
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
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 identification 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

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:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Certification: HIM Certification through AHIMA. (Note: 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)).
• Education/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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements above, candidates must meet the following grade requirements.

• GS-13 Chief HIM Experience: At least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

1. Ability to determine and evaluate compliance with legal, ethical and regulatory guidelines and accrediting bodies, as they apply to health information management.
2. Ability to provide sound, technical guidance to staff at various levels about major program, legal, or procedural changes related to health information management.
3. Skill in revising facility policies and procedures to improve health information management services and to evaluate, modify, and/or adapt new methods to meet regulatory requirements.
4. Skill in analyzing complex data, interpreting and trending results for effective management of the HIM program.
5. Skill in management/administration, which includes program planning, coordination, interpretation, supervision, consultation, negotiation, problem solving, and monitoring of HIM processes.
6. Ability to delegate authority, evaluate and oversee people and programs, accomplish program goals, and adapt to changing priorities.

Assignment. This assignment is the Chief Health Information Management (CHIM), which is the highest-level professional position at the facility with responsibility for the management and direction of the health information management program. CHIMs in this assignment provide technical advice, planning, and evaluation about health information management issues impacting the overall program on a regular and recurring basis. [Multi-division, integrated health care systems under the leadership of a single director are considered to be a single facility with one CHIM. A position with program responsibility over less than a single health care system does not have full program] responsibility for the health information management program. The CHIM establishes policies, procedures, responsibilities, and requirements for HIM-related matters, such as health record documentation, coding and clinical documentation improvement, release of information, file room/scanning, records management, transcription and medical speech recognition, as well as the overall management of health information and Veterans health records. They oversee development, implementation and adherence to HIM industry standards, policies, procedures, laws, regulations, and accrediting bodies. They ensure the facility is in compliance with applicable standards, by completing HIM audits, developing healthcare data reports, and statistical information, for timely and accurate reporting. The CHIM monitors HIM performance through dashboards, productivity standards, and benchmarking. They participate in establishing and implementing strategic facility and HIM Department goals and controlling program activities and cost, budgeting, procurement, and property management, to achieve goals and improve processes. The CHIM monitors and manages HIM workflow to ensure program objectives are met.

References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G33 - Medical Records Administrator/Medical Records Administration Specialist Qualification Standard. 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).

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

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.