Supervisory Medical Records Technician (Coder-Inpatient)

Description:

This position is located in the Health Management (HIM) section at the Orlando VA Healthcare System, MRTs (Coder) are skilled in classifying medical data from patient health records in the hospital setting, an/or physician-based settings, such as physician offices, group practices, multi-specialty clinics, and specialty centers.

Requirements:

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.

Experience and Education:

• 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.

OR,

• 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 ICD diagnostic/procedural, and basic CPT 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;

OR,

• Experience/Education Combination. 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).

Certification Requirements: Persons hired or reassigned to GS-10 Supervisory MRT (Coder) position in the GS-0675 series in VHA must have a mastery level certification through AHIMA or AAPC. Current mastery level certifications include:

• Certified Coding Specialist (CCS)
• Certified Coding Specialist - Physician-based (CCS-P)
• Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT)
• Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA)
• Certified Professional Coder (CPC)
• Certified Outpatient Coder (COC)
• Certified Inpatient Coder (CIC).

English Language Proficiency: MRTs (Coder) must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).


GRADE DETERMINATION for Supervisory Medical Records Technician (Coder), GS-10 :

Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-09. The knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) at the GS-09 grade level are:

• Ability to work with a team to provide technical guidance, plan, organize, and coordinate activities in order to effectively complete job duties of assignment, such as distributing workload, monitoring the status and progress of work, monitoring accuracy of work, etc.
• Advanced knowledge of current coding classification systems for the subspecialty being assigned (outpatient, inpatient, outpatient and inpatient combined) and the ability to research and solve complex questions related to coding conventions and guidelines in an accurate and timely manner.
• Ability to effectively communicate, both orally and in writing, in order to meet program objectives.
• Knowledge of training methods and the ability to provide training to new coding staff.
• Ability to collect and analyze data and present results in various formats, which may include presenting reports to various organizational levels.
• Leadership skills, including interpersonal relations and conflict resolution between employees, managers, and clinical staff.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Ability to perform a full range of supervisory duties, to include recommending awards, approving leave, evaluating work, resolving staff issues, and assigning, planning, and coordinating work to ensure duties are completed in an accurate and timely fashion.
• Advanced knowledge of current coding classification systems such as ICD, CPT, and HCPCS for the subspecialty being assigned (outpatient, inpatient, outpatient and inpatient combined).
• Ability to provide or coordinate staff development and training.
• Leadership and managerial skills, including skill in interpersonal relations and conflict resolution to deal with employees, team leaders, and managers.
• Ability to collect and analyze data, identify trends, and present results in various formats.

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-8, and is being recruited for a GS10.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.