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:
- (1) Experience. 1 year of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, and a general understanding of health records. 6 months of the required one year of creditable experience must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) needed to perform MRT HIT work
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, physiology, legal aspects of health care, and introduction to health records). (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application will not be reviewed.)
OR,
- (3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of creditable experience and education are qualifying towards meeting basic experience requirements. The following educational/training substitutions are appropriate for combining education and creditable experience: (a) 6 months of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, privacy and release of information, the health record, and one year above high school with a minimum of 6 semester hours of health information technology/health information management; (b) 6 months of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, privacy and release of information, the health record, and successful completion of a course for medical technicians, hospital corpsmen, medical service specialists, or hospital training obtained in a training program given by the U.S. 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.
- English Language Proficiency. MRTs HIT must be proficient in spoken and written English, as required by VA Policy..
- Medical Records Technician (HIT), GS-6:
- Experience. 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-5). Qualifying specialized experience is a developmental level MRT HIT experience analyzing health records for accuracy, completeness, timeliness, consistency, and compliance with HIM industry standards, policies, procedures, laws, regulations, and accreditation requirement; performing health record review activities to satisfy external accreditation requirements and medical center performance measures; creating and monitoring reports to ensure that deficiencies are resolved and completed appropriately; monitoring, verifying, correcting, and/or uploading all transcription/medical speech recognition to maintain completeness and accuracy of health records; notifying clinical providers regarding incomplete health records; and assisting clinical providers regarding completeness of their health record documentation.
- AND
- Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: See Demonstrated KSAs under 'Education.'
- Medical Records Technician (HIT), GS-7 (Full Performance Level):
- Experience. 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-6). Qualifying specialized experience is a developmental level MRT HIT experience analyzing, abstracting, maintaining, extracting and compiles information from the health record, working under the review of the supervisor; analyzing health records for accuracy, completeness, timeliness, consistency, and compliance with HIM industry standards, policies, procedures, laws, regulations, and accreditation requirements; coordinating and/or performing health record review activities to satisfy external accreditation requirements and medical center performance measures; notifying clinical providers regarding incomplete health records; assisting clinical providers regarding completeness of their health record documentation, and the correction of health records; conducting reviews of incomplete records for individuals clearing the facility; creating and monitoring reports to ensure that deficiencies are resolved and completed appropriately; monitoring, verifying, correcting, and/or uploading all transcription/medical speech recognition to maintain completeness and accuracy of health records; and serving as the technical experts in health record content and documentation requirements.
- AND
- Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: See Demonstrated KSAs under 'Education.'
References: VA Handbook 5005/124, Part II, Appendix G59. Medical Records Technician (HIT) Qualification Standard GS-0675. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-4 to GS-7
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.
Education
IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
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.
Experience
Creditable Experience: Experience is only creditable if it is paid or non-paid employment directly related to the position to be filled, or in a related field, such as medical support assistants, clinic/ward clerks, health record file room/scanning technicians, medical coding, or other positions that include knowledge of the content and uses of health records. To be creditable, the candidate's experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current MRT HIT practice. To be creditable, experience must be documented on the application or resume and verified in an employment reference, or through other independent means. Part-time experience as a MRT HIT is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a MRT HIT would receive one week of full-time credit for each two weeks of half-time work. (NOTE: EXPERIENCE - The experience must be supported by your resume to be creditable. UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED - If you do not submit your transcript, your application will not be reviewed.)
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities for Grade GS-05, 06, and 07GS-05 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.
In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: See Demonstrated KSAs under 'Education' section.(a) Ability to communicate effectively with internal and external customers; (b) Ability to utilize health information technology and various office software products used in health information management positions (e.g., Microsoft Excel, electronic health records, and delinquency tracking software); (c) Knowledge of health record documentation guidelines and industry standards; (d) Ability to manage priorities and coordinate work to complete duties within required timeframes; (e) Ability to apply knowledge of medical terminology and human anatomy to fully understand the content of a health record
GS-06 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Ability to navigate efficiently through the health record to locate needed information; (b) Ability to analyze health record documentation to ensure compliance with guidelines and industry standards; (c) Skill in investigating potential health record errors and making corrections, when appropriate; (d) Skill in interpreting and applying health information guidelines and using judgment to complete assignments; (e) Ability to follow up on incomplete health record documentation
GS-07 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Ability to judge whether health records contain sufficient information for regulatory requirements, are acceptable as legal documents, are adequate for continuity of patient care, and support education and research needs; (b) Ability to take appropriate actions if health record content is not adequate, accurate, timely, and/or reliable; (c) Ability to communicate both orally and in writing with individuals or groups, to facilitate compliance with established policies and regulations; (d) Skill in using appropriate software and computer applications to analyze and record documentation trends; (e) Ability to apply qualitative and/or quantitative methods for assessment and improvement of health records; (f) Ability to work independently and utilize problem-solving techniques in the accomplishment of work.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.