Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other agencies, and all US Citizens. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

This position requires the incumbent to physically report for work to the Fort Meade SD VAMC.

Major duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provide the full range of supervisory duties, which include responsibility for determining staffing needs, assignment of work, performance evaluation, selection of staff, recommendations of awards and advancements, and disciplinary actions.
• Perform ongoing audits of staff for all areas of responsibility, and assign work to the staff at an appropriate quality and productivity level.
• Establish goals, train employees in the accomplishment of tasks or projects, and develop written policies, procedures, and guidelines.
• Serve as subject matter experts in health record content and documentation requirements.
• Initiate various reports, analyze data, and work closely with clinical services to facilitate timeliness, completion, and accuracy of health record documentation.
• Monitor, maintain, and create statistical data to include incomplete and delinquent records, as well as quantitative and qualitative analysis findings, to produce reports for medical center management.
• Responsible for the daily operations of the HIMS HIT Unit, Scanning Unit and Operator Unit with the responsibility of resolving daily problems timely and accurately. Responsible for basic scanning and record maintenance based on procedures outlined in applicable national and local policies. Monitors functions to assure that the unit consistently meets the health care system demands in providing scanning services and medical records to users in a timely manner.
• Provides guidance and technical direction necessary for accomplishing the work of the unit. Provides guidance and recommendations to the Chief, HIM and Assistant, Chief HIM regarding staffing needs and shortages within the unit. Obtains needed information on decisions from the Chief, HIM or Assistant Chief, HIM on major issues and problems that arise.
• Serves as subject matter expert in health record content and documentation requirements and administrative corrections to the health record, such as correcting note titles, designating correct signer/cosigner, ensuring notes are attached to the correct episode of care, etc. Responsible for performing quantitative and qualitative reviews of the health record documentation for ongoing regulatory reviews and deficiency analysis. Incumbent is responsible for ensuring that all patient care data entered in the electronic health record (EHR) is accurate, timely, and completed. Adheres to established documentation requirements as outlined by The Joint Commission (TJC) regulations, Veterans Health Administration (VHA) guidelines, as well as medico-legal requirements.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Ad-hoc only, per Supervisor's discretion
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
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.
• 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 dentification 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

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.

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.
• Experience and Education.
  (1) Experience. One year of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, and a general understanding of health records. Six 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).
  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) Six 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 six semester hours of health information technology/health information management.
• (b) Six 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.

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). c. Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA as a MRT HIT, on the effective date of this qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/ registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:(1) Such employees in an occupation that does not require a licensure/certification/ registration, may be reassigned, promoted, or demoted within the occupation, but will not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.(2) Employees appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended, or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.(3) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard, must maintain the required credentials, as a condition of employment in the occupation.
a. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.
b. English Language Proficiency. MRTs HIT must be proficient in spoken and written English, as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Grade Determinations:
Supervisory Medical Records Technician (Health Information Technician), GS-8
Experience. One year of creditable experience at or equivalent to the next lower grade level, which includes, but not limited to: They review, analyze, abstract, maintain, extract, and compile information from the health record independently with minimal supervision. They analyze health records for accuracy, completeness, timeliness, consistency, and compliance (e.g., scanned, uploaded, use of correct titles, linked to correct encounters, etc.) with HIM industry standards, policies, procedures, laws, regulations, and accreditation requirements. They also coordinate and/or perform health record review activities to satisfy external accreditation requirements and medical center performance measures. They communicate regularly with staff at various levels of the organization regarding delinquent health records, and notify individual clinical providers regarding incomplete medical records. MRTs HIT prepare complex reports, calculate department statistics, note the status of all incomplete/delinquent records, and submit reports to the appropriate administrative and clinical staff and committees/leadership to ensure deficiencies are resolved and completed appropriately. They serve as the expert resource for clinical staff and assist clinical providers with completion or correction of their health record documentation. They conduct the review of incomplete records for individuals clearing the facility. MRTs HIT coordinate the use of medical speech recognition/transcription and monitor, verify, troubleshoot, correct, and/or upload all transcription/medical speech recognition to maintain completeness and accuracy of health records. They serve as the technical expert 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:
(a) Knowledge of operational tasks including record completion, discharge analysis, and abstracting health records, in accordance with facility accreditation, procedures, and regulatory policies.
(b) Ability to provide expert technical guidance in health record content and documentation requirements.
(c) Skill in utilizing various software and computer applications to generate and analyze various reports.
(d) Ability to coordinate and provide staff development and training.
(e) Ability to coordinate tasks and collaborate with individuals outside the work area and at higher organizational levels.
(f) Ability to provide the full range of supervisory duties, to include assignment of work, performance evaluation, selection of staff, and recommendation of awards, advancements, and disciplinary actions, when appropriate.


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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS 8.

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

How you will be evaluated

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

Area of Consideration-Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:
1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility
2. All other VA employees.
3. All other applicants

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:

• Resume

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

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
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Resume/CV exceeding two-pages
• *Highly Recommended* Write to the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) on a separate document - KSAs are found under qualification/grade requirements in the announcement.
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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