Medical Records Administrator (Assistant Chief (ACHIM))

Description:

This position is located in the Health Information Management (HIM) Section of Patient Administration Service at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center. The Assistant Chief of Health Information Management (ACHIM) performs or supervises work concerned with the management of a health record program or the provision of services related to medical record administration/health information services.

Requirements:

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).
• Experience: Three (3) 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. Transcripts Required.
  • 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. Transcripts Required.
• Certification Requirement: Persons hired or reassigned to MRA positions in the GS-0669 series in VHA must meet one of the follow: Copy of certification required.
  • (1) Coding Certification through AHIMA or AAPC. NOTE. See paragraph 2a above for a detailed definition of Coding Certification. OR
  • (2) HIM Certification through AHIMA.NOTE. See paragraph 2d above for a detailed definition of HIM Certification. OR
  • (3) 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).

Grandfathering Provision. [ ] All persons employed in VHA [as an MRA] are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held, including positive education, and [registration and/or] certification [ ] that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements [ ] in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed [ ], the following provisions apply:
[(1)] Such employees may be reassigned, promoted up to, and including, the full performance ([journeyman]) level, or [changed to lower grade] within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the [journeyman] level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
[(2)] Employees who [were] appointed on a temporary basis, prior to the effective date of the qualification standard, may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
[(3)] Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/[registration/]certification[, and] meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard, must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
[(4) MRAs who are converted to title] 38 [hybrid status] under this provision [and subsequently leave the] occupation [lose] protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry [, as a medical records administrator].

Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

GS-12 Grade Determination: In addition to the basic requirements above the following is the amount of experience and certification required to qualify for the Medical Record Administrator (Assistant Chief Health Information Management (ACHIM)) position at the GS-12 grade level.

Experience : At least one full year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11)
AND
Certification: Employees at this level must have a HIM Certification.
AND
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities KSAs.
(1) Skill in managing various projects and processes, which includes the ability to develop new or improved solutions to complex technical problems in health information management.
(2) Ability to advise management and staff on a wide range of health information management practices based on current industry standards, policies, statutes, laws, and regulations.
(3) Ability to plan, justify, develop, evaluate, assess, monitor, and/or 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 successfully apply principles and techniques of sound resource management (i.e., staffing, space, contracts, equipment).
(6) Ability to provide the full range of supervisory duties to include assignment of work, completing performance evaluations, selection of staff, and recommendation of awards, advancements, and disciplinary actions.

Reference: VA Handbook 5005/130, Part II, Appendix G33, Medical Records Administrator/Medical Records Administration Specialist Qualification Standards, 5/28/2020. For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/ .

Creditable Experience: Experience is only creditable if it is in health information management and is directly related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, the candidate's experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current practice. Experience satisfying this requirement must be active practice, which is paid/non-paid employment as an MRT/MRA or related field such as medical coding, qualitative and quantitative health record analysis, Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act privacy and release of information, or preparation, maintenance, and management of health records.

Quality of Experience : To be creditable, experience must be documented on the application or resume and verified in an employment reference or through other independent means.

Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary, but may require walking, bending, standing, and /or carrying of light items such as files and manuals. The work does not require any special physical effort or ability.

Work Environment : The work area is usually an adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated office or medical facility setting. The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions.