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MEDICAL RECORD TECHNICIAN (CODER)

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Central Alabama Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHCS)
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Health Information Management (HIM) section at the Central Alabama Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHCS). Medical Record Technician (MRT) Coders are skilled in classifying medical data from patient health records in the hospital setting, and/or physician-based settings, such as physician offices, group practices, multi-specialty clinics, and specialty centers.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
05/24/2022 to 06/07/2022
Salary
$32,283 to - $64,410 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 4 - 8
Location
Montgomery, AL
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
8
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CBTB-11502498-22-AL
Control number
656271900

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Duties

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Major Duties:

  • Applies knowledge of medical record content, medical terminology, anatomy & physiology, diseases processes, and official coding guidelines to assign codes to the most basic and routine outpatient and inpatient services.
  • Selects and assigns codes from the current versions of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) Clinical Modification (CM) and Procedure Coding System (PCS) for inpatient facility MS-DRG coding, and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT}, and/or Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) for inpatient professional coding and outpatient coding.
  • With instruction from a senior coder or supervisor learns to select diagnosis, operation, or procedure codes based on the accepted coding practices, guidelines, conventions and policy.
  • Reviews record documentation to abstract all required medical, surgical, ancillary, demographic, social, and administrative data with guidance and instruction from supervisor or senior coder to develop knowledge of the organization and structure of an electronic patient record.
  • Coding and documentation questions from providers are referred to a senior coder or supervisor for resolution or guidance.
  • Utilizes the facility computer system and software applications to code, abstract, record, and transmit data to the national VA database in Austin. Identified data errors are reviewed with a senior coder or the supervisor and corrections made as directed.
  • Uses a variety of computer applications in day-to-day activities and duties, such as Outlook, Excel, Word, and Access; develops use of the health record applications (VistA and CPRS) as well as the encoder product suite.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm
Telework: Yes - Position Suitable

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
  • All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
  • Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period.
  • Subject to background/security investigation.
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
  • Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
  • Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

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.
  • Responds to the needs of customers while supporting the VA mission; communicates and treats
    customers in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner. Constructively and appropriately handles
    conflicts with customers.
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).

Preferred 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; 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, 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 health record techniques
    and procedures. Also, requires six additional months of creditable experience that is paid or
    non-paid employment equivalent to a MRT (Coder).
References: See VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G57.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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); or 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 lCD diagnostic/procedural, and basic OPT 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. Department of Education accreditor, or comparable international accrediting authority at the time the program was completed;

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. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

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.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a VA job announcement includes language requiring applicants to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to Executive Order 14043, that requirement does not currently apply to this Job Announcement. VA may request information regarding your vaccination status, if selected, for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.


Due to COVID-19, VA is currently in an expanded telework posture. If selected, you may be expected to temporarily telework, even if your home is located outside the local commuting area. Once employees are permitted to return to the office, you will be expected to report to the duty station listed on this announcement. Management officials will provide information about returning to the official, pre-pandemic worksite, when applicable. At that time, you may be eligible to request to continue to telework depending upon the terms of your organization's telework policy and the duties of the position.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

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, résumé, 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.

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.

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