This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/483750100. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans.
As a VA professional, your opportunities are endless. Not only is it the largest, most technologically advanced integrated health care system in the Nation, but we also provide many other services to Veterans through the Benefits Administration and National Cemeteries. VA professionals feel good about their careers and their ability to balance work and home life. VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities. For more information on the Department of Veterans Affairs, go to http://www.vacareers.va.gov/
VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.
11/07/2017 to 11/21/2017
$32,614 - $65,070 per year
GS 00
4 vacancies in the following location:
Not required
No
Permanent - Excepted Service Permanent
Full-time - Full Time
08
No
JP-18-KMR-2022779
483750100
This position is located in the Office of the Associate Director in the Clinical Documentation Improvement Section (CDI) at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas. The Medical Record Technician (Coder) is responsible for abstracting medical record data and assigning codes using current clinical classification systems appropriate for the type of care provided to patients. Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Assigns codes to documented patient care encounters (inpatient or outpatient), covering the full range of health care services provided by VA Medical Center.
- Monitors ever-changing regulatory and policy requirements affecting coded information for full spectrum of services.
- Performs a comprehensive review of the patient health record to abstract medical, surgical, ancillary, demographic, social, and administrative data to ensure complete data capture.
- Codes diagnoses, operations and procedures (inpatient and outpatient), which requires knowledge in a variety of coding systems.
- Uses the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM), Current Procedural Terminology (CPT-4) and HCPCS Level II Code Book (HCPCS) .
- Establishes the primary and secondary diagnosis and procedure codes for billable outpatient encounters following applicable regulations, and requirements for allowable reimbursement.
- Reports incorrect documentation or codes in the electronic patient health record.
- Consults with the professional staff for clarification of conflicting or ambiguous clinical data.
- Utilizes the facility computer system and software applications to correctly code, abstract, record and transmit data to the national VA database.
- Uses a variety of window based application in day to day activities and duties such as Outlook, Excel Word and Access.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
Work Schedule:Monday - Friday: 7:30am - 4:00pm or 8:00am - 4:30pm
Physical Requirements: While the work is mostly sedentary, there are also demands for standing, walking, bending and long periods of sitting. No special physical demands are required to perform this work.
Basic Requirements:
(a) Six months of experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology and general understanding of the health record and one year above high school with a minimum of 6 semester hours of health information technology courses.
(b) 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 may be substituted on a month-for-month basis for up to six months of experience provided the training program included courses in anatomy, physiology, and medical record techniques and procedures. Also requires six additional months of experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology and general understanding of the health record.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.
Grade Determinations:
GS-4: Experience or Education. None beyond basic requirements.
GS-5: Experience. At least 1 year of experience at the next lower grade level OR successful completion of four years of education above high school from an accredited college or university with a minimum of 24 semester hours in health information technology. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 1. Ability to utilize health information technology and various office software products utilized in MRT coder positions (e.g., the electronic health record, coding and abstracting software, etc.); 2. Knowledge of the Joint Commission requirements, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CCMS), and/or health record documentation guidelines; and 3. Ability to manage priorities and coordinate work in order to complete duties within required timeframes and ability to follow-up on pending issues.
GS-6: Experience. One year of experience comparable to the next lower level. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 1. Ability to navigate through health records to find needed information; 2. Skill in interpreting and adapting health information guidelines that are not completely applicable to the work or have gaps in specificity, and ability to use judgment in completing assignments with incomplete or inadequate guidelines; 3. Ability to apply laws and regulations on the confidentiality of health information (e.g., Privacy Act, Freedom of Information Act, and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)); and 4. Comprehensive knowledge of classification systems, such as current versions of International Classification of Diseases (ICD), Current Procedural Technology (CPT) and Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS), and skill in applying said classifications based on health record documentation.
GS-7: Experience. One year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 1. Skill in applying current coding classifications to a variety of specialty care areas to accurately reflect service and care provided based on documentation in the health record; 2. Ability to communicate with clinical staff for specific coding and documentation issues such as recording inpatient and/or outpatient diagnoses and procedures, the correct sequencing of diagnoses and/or procedures, and the relationship between health care documentation and code assignment; 3. Ability to research and solve coding and documentation related issues; and 4. Skill in reviewing and correcting system or processing errors and ensuring all assigned work is complete.
GS-8: Experience. One year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 1. Ability to analyze the medical record to identify all pertinent diagnoses and procedures for coding, and to evaluate the adequacy of the documentation. This includes the ability to read and understand the content of the medical record, the terminology, the significance of the comments, and the disease process/pathophysiology of the patient; 2. Ability to accurately perform the full scope of outpatient coding, including ambulatory surgical cases, diagnostic studies and procedures, and outpatient encounters, and/or inpatient coding, including inpatient discharges, surgical cases, diagnostic studies and procedures, and inpatient professional fees; and 3. Skill in interpreting and adapting health information guidelines and ability to use judgment in completing assignments using incomplete or inadequate guidelines.
References: VA Handbook 5005/79 Part II, Appendix G35, Medical Record Technician Qualification Standard, dated September 5, 2014. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
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, résumé and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.
NOTE: 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. The Professional Standards Board (a peer-review group) will recommend the grade and salary for new appointments. For internal selectees being promoted, the board will determine grade and HR will determine step in accordance with policy.
All applicants are required to submit the following supporting document type(s):
·Other (10-2850c - Application for Associated Health Occupations)
·Resume
Applicants may also submit the following supporting document type(s),which may not be required for all applicants:
Please use this checklistto make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.
Veterans' Preference: When applying
for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference on the
Occupational Questionnaire in the section provided and provide a legible
copy of your DD214(s) and/or documentation related to your active duty
service which shows dates of service, character of service (honorable,
general, etc.), or dates of impending separation. Additionally,
disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as
widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15
"Application for 10 Point Veterans Preference" with required proof as
stated on the form. For more information, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx.
Faxing Applications or Supporting Documents: You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. If you are unable to apply online or unable to upload your supporting documents to your online application, follow the directions located at the following site: Fax Options. The Vacancy ID of the job opportunity announcement is 2022779.
NOTE: If you applied online and your application is complete, do not fax the paper application (1203-FX) as this will overwrite your prior online responses and may result in you being found ineligible.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online.
To apply for this position, you must complete the View Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on Tuesday, November 21, 2017 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. During our review, if your résumé and application package do not support your questionnaire answers, we will adjust your rating accordingly. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USAJOBS account and clicking on Application Status. For a more detailed update of your status, click on more information. Information regarding applicant notification points can be found in the USAJobs Resource Center.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/483750100. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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Vacancy Identification Number (VIN) 2022779