Medical Records Administrator - Chief of Health Information Management

Clarification from the agency

This position is ONLY open to current, permanent VISN 19 Rocky Mountain Network Employees. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

• Serves as Chief of Health Information Management (CHIM) with full program responsibility for all facets of the Health Information Management (HIM) program and processes. Must ensure HIM program meets and/or exceed national HIM policies, procedures, and performance metrics. Responsible for the administrative management of health records, which includes planning, managing, advising, and directing the health information program in accordance with applicable Federal laws, facility by-laws, VHA policy, The Joint Commission (TJC) standards, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), and other regulatory and accrediting agency standards.
• Responsible for all facets of health records management for the facility ensuring maintenance of complete, accurate, timely, clinically-pertinent, and readily-accessible patient health records, which contain sufficient recorded information to serve as a basis to plan patient care, support diagnoses, warrant treatment, measure outcomes, support education and facilitate performance improvement processes and legal requirements. Develops policies, processes, and procedures that address all VA, Federal, regulatory, and accrediting requirements for HIM.
• Provides detailed technical expertise in health records science and other very technical aspects of HIM. Maintains all health information input into the local VistA database and assures timely transmission of that data into all VA centralized databases - most frequently those maintained at the Austin Data Processing Center. Must assure that all health information that is coded and abstracted meets the requirements of the VA and/or TJC and is consistent with professional health records standards.
• Clinical support role: Serves as a key advisor to the Chief of Staff, Executive Management, and clinicians and is responsible for providing technical guidance on health information issues such as documentation requirements, liability issues, advance directives, informed consent, release of information, transcription/speech recognition, health information exchange, etc.
• Completes internal quality assurance reviews to ensure employee performance and that work meets quality and quantity standards. Establishes monitors to ensure the timeliness of health record entries and reports findings with subsequent trending of data.
• Serves as a key member of the Quality Improvement (QI) team, works closely with QI personnel, and is responsible for assuring that the facility is compliant with all TJC standards regarding health information.
• Assures that all patients have a complete, accurate, and timely record of their health care at the facility. Must assure that such information is appropriately stored and readily available for the provision of medical services to the patients.
• Responsible for leading the automation of all health information systems. Working closely with Information Technology (IT) and Clinical Informatics, the incumbent must guide the automation of health record documentation, health record tracking, and physician incomplete record tracking.
• Conducts training programs in various areas health information management, such as medical terminology, health record documentation, release of information, medico-legal matters, speech recognition/transcription, scanning, medical coding, clinical documentation improvement, and health information exchange. Responsible for establishing formal affiliation with university programs in health information and precepting students from such programs.
• Provides direct support to Regional Counsel. As necessary, incumbent will provide consultation services to members of the Counsel's staff in areas dealing with health information. Actively participates at national and VISN levels as a resource person on health information matters. Participates in facility or VISN research activities related to health information and electronic health record (EHR) issues. Provides full support to accomplish VHA Central Office HIM Program Office strategic goals and objectives.
• CHIM at this level has the full complement of HIM supervisory responsibility including coding, record completion, file room, scanning, release of information, and transcription and which consists of a mixture of HT38 (675 and 669) and T5 positions. May also oversee the facility Records Manager. Incumbent is responsible for directing the operations of all personnel working within the HIM program and is regularly involved in labor relations and budget management. Participates in the recruitment, interview, selection, and orientation process of all HIM positions.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible:Not available.
Telework: Not available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 55604-0
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.

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.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

Citizenship.Candidates must be a citizen of the United States.

English Language Proficiency.MRAs must be proficient in spoken and written English. See 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Education or Experience:

Experience.Three 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.

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.

Certification.Persons hired or reassigned to MRA positions in the GS-0669 series in VHA must meet one of the following:

• Coding Certification through AHIMA or AAPC.

OR

• HIM Certification through AHIMA.

OR

• Health Data Analyst Certification through AHIMA.

Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Medical Records Administrator-CHIM, GS-12
Experience
One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11) that demonstrates the KSAs described at that level.

• GS-11 Assignments. This is considered the full performance level for MRA positions (MRA/HIM Specialist). MRAs work independently in day-to-day assignments. They perform data mining; complex data analysis; and interpret and transform data into accurate, consistent, and timely information in support of the business and operational needs of the HIM department and the organization. They present findings and recommendations to the Chief of HIM (CHIM) and facility leadership. MRAs perform workflow analyses, recommend process improvements, identify and implement best practices, and implement changes as needed to improve the productivity and quality controls of the HIM department. They prepare workload and production reports, monitor trends to identify efficiencies and outliers, and recommend appropriate actions which may involve collaborating with staff at all levels for resolution. The MRA designs and performs quality improvement projects related to health information management to identify and recommend ways of eliminating, combining, simplifying or improving procedures and processes. They compile diagnostic, procedural, and statistical data, and present reports locally, regionally, or nationally. MRAs lead various health record review activities. They participate in various facility, regional, and/or national committees requiring health information management subject matter expertise. The MRA exhibits broad organizational knowledge, communicates and provides training and education to individuals and groups, at multiple levels, both internal and external to the facility.

AND

Certification. Employees at this level must have a HIM Certification.

AND

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

1. Ability to determine and evaluate compliance with legal, ethical, andregulatory guidelines and accrediting bodies, as they apply to healthinformation management.
2. Skill in evaluating, developing and implementing new policies, procedures, and programs.
3. Ability to provide program oversight, including advisory and technical expertise on a range of health information management practices and guidelines to staff at various levels.
4. Ability to develop and conduct training on health information management programs, policies, procedures, and performance improvement activities.
5. Ability to effectively procure and manage HIM resources (i.e. space, staffing,education, budget, etc.).
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.
7. Customer service skills necessary to effectively communicate (written and verbal) and interact with all levels of hospital personnel, physicians, patients, and outside agencies.
8. Ability to deal effectively with sensitive and/or complex situations.

Preferred Experience: None

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Professional Certification
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Other (1)
• Professional Certification
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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