Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. The area of consideration will be referred in the following order: 1) Current permanent Puget Sound VA Healthcare System and associated clinic employees 2) Current permanent Agency (Department of Veterans Affairs) employees.

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Duties listed below are for GS-11 - full performance level, developmental grade will differ in complexity and oversight. They include, but are not limited to:

• Present findings and recommendations to the Chief of HIM (CHIM) and facility leadership.
• Perform workflow analyses, recommend process improvements, identify and implement best practices, and implement changes as needed to improve the productivity and quality controls of the HIM department.
• Prepare workload and production reports, monitor trends to identify efficiencies and outliers, and recommend appropriate actions which may involve collaborating with staff at all levels for resolution.
• Designs and performs quality improvement projects related to health information management to identify and recommend ways of eliminating, combining, simplifying or improving procedures and processes.
• Exhibits broad organizational knowledge, communicates and provides training and education to individuals and groups, at multiple levels, both internal and external to the facility.
• 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 subject matter expertise to Service Line Leaders, and medical center staff.
• Interprets and applies The Joint Commission (TJC) standards, VHA regulations and medico-legal requirements; current federal codes pertinent to health records; VHA policy memoranda, directives, handbooks and program guides pertinent to health information management; medical coding (ICD, CPT, HCPCS) and reimbursement methodologies; medical and procedural terminology; anatomy and physiology; regulations governing confidentiality of health records; release of information laws and statutes; and all policies/procedures pertaining to VHA health records.
• Provides training for HIM, clinical and administrative staff on HIM topics. 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.
• 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.
• Performs audits and analyses, preparing and presenting findings and recommendations to the CHIM, Service Line Leaders and medical staff.
• 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. This includes ensuring charge order items and associated documentation in the health record are accurate, consistent, and reflects the correct service, service date and rendering provider.
• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with clinical, informatics, administrative, revenue, and other departments to facilitate expeditious resolution of coding issues related to the functionality of the CDM and related interface processes that causes delays in submission of the data.
• Serves as point of contact for health record corrections to ensure documentation accurately reflects care delivered and reported. Documentation corrections may consist of retracting erroneous notes, re-titling notes, assigning notes to or removing from consult requests. Collaborates on improperly identified documents with clinicians, Clinical Applications Coordinators (CACs) and others who report problems. Reassigns, rescinds, and removes documents when they have been entered or uploaded incorrectly.
• May assign User Classes to users at the request of the Chief HIM; responds to questions or issues related to that user class. Reviews requests for new templates or additions/correction to existing templates (e.g., clinical reminder dialogs, documentation templates, PowerForms). Reviews requests for new paper forms and assists in the creation and implementation of electronic versions of these forms so that they are always available to EHR users.

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.

• 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.

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.
• English Language Proficiency: MRAs must be proficient in spoken and written English. See 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• 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
  • NOTE. HIMs Certification is required for all positions above the full performance level.

• Experience. In addition to the basic requirements, one year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
• OR,
• Education. (Advanced Entry-Level Placement). Applicants who meet the GS-5 grade level may be appointed at the GS-7 grade level, if they possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a major field of study in health information management, with an exemplary academic record as demonstrated by:
  • A 3.0 or higher-grade point average (GPA) out of a possible 4.0 GPA ("B" or better), as recorded on their official transcript or as computed based on four years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final two years of the curriculum; or
  • A 3.5 GPA or higher out of a possible 4.0 GPA ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field of study, or the required courses completed in the major field of study during the final two years of the curriculum.
• AND
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs).

1. Knowledge of current classification systems, such as International Classification of Diseases, Current Procedural Terminology, and [the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS).
2. Ability to effectively communicate (written and verbal) with medical center staff, patients, and external entities.
3. . Ability to use data collection and analytical techniques for purposes of review, quality control, studies and analysis [of health information.
4. 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.
5. Ability to work independently, adapt to shifting priorities, and meet deadlines.

• Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics described at that level.
• OR,
• Education. 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
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

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.

• 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.

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 accurate, consistent, and meaningful information.

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.