Clarification from the agency

This announcement is for current, permanent, federal employees at Veterans Health Administration only. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Videos

PLEASE NOTE: This position is designated as remote. Remote work is defined as full-time employment conducted outside of a VA facility or in VA-leased spaces. The option for remote work will be assessed continuously, and the selected individual may need to return to a VA office if required. The VA will categorically exempt military spouses authorized to engage in remote work and spouses of U.S. Foreign Service members from Agency plans to return all eligible employees to in-person work instead of remote or telework arrangements.Any selected candidate must live within 50 miles of a VA Medical Center.

Duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Provides subject matter expertise to Service Line Leaders, and medical center staff.
• Interprets and applies The Joint Commission standards, VA regulations and medico-legal requirements; current Federal Codes pertinent to medical records; Veterans Administration policy memoranda, directives and handbooks pertinent to health information management; ICD-CM coding principles and nomenclature and the MS-DRG system; CPT and E&M rules; medical and procedural terminology; anatomy and physiology, regulations governing confidentiality of medical records; release of information laws and statutes; records management; and any policies pertaining to VA medical records.
• Provides training for HIM, clinical and administrative staff on HIM topics.
• Performs quality improvement projects regarding HIM issues.
• Assists the CHIM or designee in preparing various presentations.
• Performs audits and analyses, preparing and presenting findings and recommendations to the CHIM, Service Line Leaders and medical staff.
• Reviews, analyzes and reports HIM performance monitors.
• Advises Principal Investigators and other clinical staff relating to methodologies of retrieving health care data for specific studies.
• Performs data retrieval for special studies as needed.
• Participates in various VAMC, VISN and national committees requiring health information management subject matter expertise.
• Performs quantitative and qualitative reviews of health record documentation to ensure all patient care data entered in the electronic health record (EHR) is accurate, timely, and completed. Adheres to established documentation requirements as outlined by The Joint Commission (TJC) regulations, Veterans Health Administration (VHA) guidelines, as well as medical-legal requirements. Serves as a liaison in the implementation of automated clinical applications pertaining to the EHR.
• Participates in facility committees and subcommittees related to health information and provides technical advice when necessary.
• Participates in training related to VHA Healthcare Information Systems such as VistA, CPRS and other software packages as they relate to HIM job functions.
• Analyzes clinical and administrative processes related to information flow. Tests and verifies software packages prior to activation in production mode.
• Coordinates with software developers in the local testing of software.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized
Virtual: This is a virtual position
Functional Statement #: 00000

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 may 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.

Education or Experience -
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-
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-
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:
Coding Certification through AHIMA or AAPC -OR- HIM Certification through AHIMA -OR-Health Data Analyst Certification through AHIMA

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: Medical Record Administration

GS-09: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics described at that level OR education equivalent to two full years of progressively higher level graduate education or a master's [degree] or equivalent graduate degree from an accredited college or university in a field directly related to health information management, AND must demonstrate the following KSAs:

1. Knowledge of medical and legal requirements related to health information management and health records.
2. Ability to provide technical advice and [guidance] on health information management practices.
3. Skill in extracting data from various sources and analyzing health information to create reports.
4. Skill in researching, interpreting, and [applying] health information management guidelines.
5. Knowledge of performance and process improvement techniques to develop new or improved solutions in health information management

GS-11: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities described at that level OR 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 must demonstrate the following 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.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.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-09 to GS-11.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Office setting is adequately heated, lighted and ventilated as well as meeting rooms and classrooms. Position may require occasional travel. Work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts which require normal safety precautions. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there is usually some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items such as papers, books, files, etc. No special physical demands are required to perform the work

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.