Requirements
Conditions of employment
- You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
- Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
- Subject to background/security investigation.
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
- Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
- Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
Qualifications
Basic Requirements:
(a) United States Citizenship: Must be a U. S. citizen.
(b) English Language Proficiency. MRTs (Coder) must be proficient in spoken and written English.
(c) Certification. MRT (Coder) GS-0675 must have either (1), (2), or (3) below:
(1) Apprentice/Associate Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC.
Certified Coding Associate (CCA)
Certified Professional Coder-Apprentice (CPC-A)
Certified Outpatient Coding-Apprentice (COC-A)
(2) Mastery Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC.
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)
Certified Coding Specialist (CCS)
(3) Clinical Documentation Improvement
Certification through AHIMA or ACDIS.
Clinical Documentation Improvement Practitioner (CDIP)
Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist
(1) Experience. One year of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, medical coding & the structure/format of a health record. ~OR~
(2) Education. An associate's degree from an accredited college/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, medical coding & introduction to health records).~OR~
(3) Completion of an AHIMA approved coding program /other intense coding training program of approximately one year or more that included courses in anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, basic ICD diagnostic/procedural, & basic CPT coding. The training program must have led to eligibility for coding certification/certification examination, the sponsoring academic institution must be accredited by a national U.S. Department of Education accreditor/comparable international accrediting authority at the time the program was completed.
(4) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of creditable experience/education are qualifying for meeting the basic requirements.
(a) Six months of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, general understanding of medical coding & the health record, and one year above high school, with a minimum of 6 semester hours..
(b) Successful completion of a course for medical technicians, hospital corpsmen, medical service specialists/hospital training obtained in a training program given by the Armed Forces or the U.S. Maritime Service under close medical professional supervision.
GRADE DETERMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS.
(1) MRT (Coder-Outpatient and Inpatient): GS-4
Experience or Education. None beyond basic requirements.
(2) MRT (Coder-Outpatient and Inpatient): GS-5
(a) Experience 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to next lower grade level;
OR,
(b)
Education. Successful completion of 4years of education above high school leading to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to experience above, and demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
1. Ability to use health information technology and various office software products used in MRT (Coder) positions (e.g., the electronic health record, coding and abstracting software, etc.).
2. Ability to navigate through and abstract pertinent information from health records.
3. Knowledge of the ICD CM, PCS Official Conventions and Guidelines for Coding & Reporting, & CPT guidelines.
4. Ability to apply knowledge of medical terminology, human anatomy/physiology, & disease processes to accurately assign codes to inpatient & outpatient episodes of care based on health record documentation.
5. Knowledge of The Joint Commission requirements, CMS, and/or health record documentation guidelines.
6. Ability to manage priorities & coordinate work to complete duties within required timeframes, & ability to follow-up on pending issues.
MRT (Coder-Outpatient and Inpatient): GS-6
(a) Experience 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to next lower grade level.
KSAs In addition to experience above, must demonstrate all of following KSAs:
1. Ability to analyze health record to identify all pertinent diagnoses & procedures for coding and to evaluate adequacy of documentation.
2. Ability to determine whether health records contain sufficient information for regulatory requirements, are acceptable as legal documents, are adequate for continuity of patient care, & support assigned codes. This includes ability to take appropriate actions if health record contents are not complete, accurate, timely, and/or reliable.
3. Ability to apply laws and regulations on confidentiality of health information (e.g., Privacy Act, Freedom of Information Act, and HIPAA).
4. Ability to accurately apply ICD CM, PCS Official Conventions and Guidelines for Coding & Reporting, & CPT Guidelines to various coding scenarios.
5. Comprehensive knowledge of current classification systems, such as ICD CM, PCS, CPT, HCPCS, and skill in applying classifications to both inpatient & outpatient records based on health record documentation.
6. Knowledge of complication or comorbidity/major complication or comorbidity (CC/MCC) and POA indicators to obtain correct MS-DRG.
GS-7 Experience 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to next lower grade level.
KSAs. In addition to experience above, demonstrate all of following KSAs:
1. Skill in applying current coding classifications to a variety of inpatient & outpatient specialty care areas to accurately reflect service and care provided based on documentation in health record.
2. Ability to communicate with clinical staff for specific coding & documentation issues, such as recording inpatient & outpatient diagnoses & procedures, correct sequencing of diagnoses and/or procedures, and relationship between health record documentation & code assignment.
3. Ability to research & solve coding & documentation related issues.
4. Skill in reviewing & correcting system or processing errors & ensuring all assigned work is complete.
5. Ability to abstract, assign, & sequence codes, including complication or comorbidity/major complication or comorbidity (CC/MCC), & POA indicators to obtain correct MS-DRG.
GS-8 experience 1year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
KSAs In addition to the experience above, demonstrate all of following KSAs:
i. Ability to analyze health record to identify all pertinent diagnoses & procedures for coding & to evaluate adequacy of documentation. This includes ability to read & understand content of health record, terminology, significance of comments, & disease process/pathophysiology of patient.
ii. Ability to accurately perform full scope of outpatient coding, including ambulatory surgical cases, diagnostic studies and procedures, & outpatient encounters, & inpatient facility coding, including inpatient discharges, surgical cases, diagnostic studies & procedures, & inpatient professional services.
iii. Skill in interpreting & adapting health information guidelines that are not completely applicable to work, or have gaps in specificity, and ability to use judgment in completing assignments using incomplete or inadequate guidelines
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).
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit
https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-4 to the full performance level of a GS-8.
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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
Additional information
Receiving Service Credit for 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.
During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.
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.
If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.
Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
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.