Supervisory Medical Records Technician (Coder)

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: a. Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.) b. Experience and Education (1) 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, (2) 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, (3) 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, (4) 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: (a) 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. (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 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). c. Certification. Persons hired or reassigned to MRT (Coder) positions in the GS-0675 series in VHA must have a mastery level certification. 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). d. Loss of Credential. Following initial certification, credentials must be maintained through rigorous continuing education, ensuring the highest level of competency for employers and consumers. An employee in this occupation who fails to maintain the required certification must be removed from the occupation, which may result in termination of employment. At the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may be reassigned to another occupation for which he/she qualifies, if a placement opportunity exists. f. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service. g. English Language Proficiency. MRTs (Coder) must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Grade Determinations: Supervisory Medical Records Technician (Coder), GS-10 Supervisory coder assignments can be established for any of the coder subspecialties (outpatient, inpatient, outpatient and inpatient combined). The subspecialty will be reflected in the title, e.g., Supervisory MRT (Coder- Outpatient). Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. Certification. Employees at this level must have a mastery level certification. 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/. This Supervisory Medical Records Technician (Coder) position is located within the Health Information Management (HIM) Service Line at the VA Bedford Health Care System. This position is full-time at 40 hours per week.

• Supervisory Medical Record Technicians (Coder) are responsible for supervising coding staff at the facility level. Supervisory MRTs (Coder) must be able to perform all duties of a MRT (Coder). The supervisory coder is responsible for the supervision, administrative management, and direction of coding staff. They are responsible for program management of a coding section/unit to ensure performance monitors are established and met. Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to: Performs a full range of supervisory responsibilities, to include evaluating the performance of subordinate staff, approving sick and annual leave requests, identifying educational or training needs, resolving employee complaints, and taking disciplinary actions, when necessary. Informs higher level management of anticipated vacancies or increases in workload. Recommends employees for promotions, reassignments, recognitions, retention or release of probationary employees, or other changes of assigned personnel. Serves as an expert coding resource to ensure accuracy and integrity of all coding. Collaborates with revenue, compliance, and other departments to support coding accuracy that is consistent with the official guidelines for coding and reporting. Resolves claim edits referred to coding management and monitor reports for outstanding services, rejects, or uncoded episodes of care for inpatients and/or outpatients. Ensures claim denials related to coding errors are resolved, and/or daily coding rejects are corrected for accurate billing and data collection. Assesses current audit findings and evaluate impact to coding and documentation practices. Oversee the reporting of coding and documentation audit results to leadership. Collects and prepares data for studies involving inpatient stays and outpatient encounters for clinical evaluation purposes, prepares and maintains a variety of complex records and daily, monthly, or "on demand" reports, as requested. Creates and monitors outpatient reports, inpatient case mix reports, top DRGs, and key performance indicators to identify patterns, trends, and variations. Investigates and evaluates potential causes for changes or problems and collaborate with the appropriate staff to effect resolution or explain variances. Participate in the formulation of objectives and strategies utilizing coded data to support goals for patient care, teaching, research, and optimizing management of resources. Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday - Friday, 7:00am - 3:30pm Telework: Not Authorized. Remote: This position is being filled as remote (i.e., the employee will not work at a VA Facility or VA-Leased space). Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 518-F08570 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Notifications: Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees. Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent non-award SF-50 (notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position, title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay. Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment. Virtual/Remote Work Status: This position is eligible for Remote/Virtual work. However, this position may fall under the Presidential Memorandum titled "Return to In-Person Work" which requires you to go into the office. By applying to this position, you are acknowledging that you maybe be required to report in person to a designated location deemed by management.