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.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
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:MRTs must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
CERTIFICATION: Applicants at this level 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).
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(2) 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;
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE COMBINATION: Equivalent combinations of creditable experience and education 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).
IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS LISTED ABOVE, YOU MUST MEET THE SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-10 LEVEL TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION.
GS-10 GRADE REQUIREMENTS
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Must have at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-9 that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Specialized experience includes: 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, recommend employees for promotions, reassignments, recognitions, retention or release of probationary employees, or other changes of assigned personnel. Collaborate with revenue, compliance, and other departments to support coding accuracy that is consistent with the official guidelines for coding and reporting. Oversee the reporting of coding and documentation audit results to leadership. Collect and prepare data for studies involving inpatient stays and outpatient encounters for clinical evaluation purposes, prepare and maintain a variety of complex records and daily, monthly, or "on demand" reports, as requested.
AND
Certification: Employees at this level must have a mastery level certification.
AND
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. i
- 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/.
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.