Job Title:Medical Records Technician (Coder) - Financial Management Service
Department:Department Of Veterans Affairs
Agency:Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
Job Announcement Number:STL-15-SMP-1250072-MP BU
SALARY RANGE:
$43,389.00 to $56,406.00 / Per Year
OPEN PERIOD:
Monday, November 17, 2014 to Friday, November 28, 2014
SERIES & GRADE:
GS-0675-08
POSITION INFORMATION:
Full Time - Permanent
DUTY LOCATIONS:
1 vacancy in the following location:
Saint Louis, MO
WHO MAY APPLY:
Open to All U.S. Citizens
SECURITY CLEARANCE:
Public Trust - Background Investigation
SUPERVISORY STATUS:
No
JOB SUMMARY:
Vacancy Identification Number (VIN): 1250072
Salary: Applicant's education and experience will be reviewed by a Professional Standards Board in determining the grade and salary of the applicant selected. The recommended salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy.
OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise – “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” – by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) needs employees who possess the energy, compassion, and commitment to serve those who served our Country. Whatever the job title, every position in VA will give you a chance to make a meaningful and personal contribution to the lives of truly special and deserving people - our Veterans. VA professionals feel good about their careers and their ability to balance work and home life. VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities. Working for VA is one of the most emotionally satisfying and professionally rewarding ways to dedicate the best within you to your Country's service.
If you are transitioning from the military or a Veteran already, we invite you to explore the benefits of continuing your career at the VA. The VA is committed to hiring Veterans. The VA is much more than just another employer. It is an honorable, open and welcoming community of those who care. Gratitude is our motivation and service is our mission.
The VA has adopted Core Values and Characteristics that apply universally across the Department. The five Core Values define “who we are,” our culture, and how we care for Veterans, their families and other beneficiaries. The Values are Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect and Excellence (“I CARE”).
America's Veterans need you! To find out more, go to http://www.va.gov/jobs/.
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.
This is an external announcement. Facility, VA employees with status MUST apply under the INTERNAL announcement, STL-15-SMP-1230376-HYB BU. All applications applying under this external announcement will be subject to Veteran's preference.
TRAVEL REQUIRED
Not Required
RELOCATION AUTHORIZED
No
KEY REQUIREMENTS
You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
You may be required to serve a probationary period
You must pass a pre-employment physical
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
DUTIES:
This position is located in the Health Information Management (HIM) section of Financial Management Service (FMS) at the VA St. Louis Health Care System (VASTLHCS), St. Louis, Missouri. The Medical Records Technician (MRT), Coder is responsible for performing a quality review of patient care documents and assigning codes specific for the type of care provided.
VASTLHCS is a level 1a facility, the highest complexity level for VHA facilities. It is a two-division, tertiary care and research-leading VISN referral medical center system. We are affiliated with Saint Louis University School of Medicine and Washington University School of Medicine.
Major duties and responsibilities include, but not limited to the following:
· Assigns codes to documented patient care encounters (inpatient or outpatient) for the specialty and subspecialty health care services provided by the VASTLHCS;
· Selects and assigns codes from the current version of one or more coding systems depending on regular/recurring duties;
· Adheres to accepted coding practices, guidelines and conventions when choosing the most appropriate diagnosis, operation, procedure, ancillary, or Evaluation and
· Management code to ensure ethical, accurate, and complete coding;
· Searches the patient record to find documentation justifying code assignment based on an expanded knowledge of the organization and structure of the patient record;
· Orients and instructs new personnel and/or students from affiliated health information or medical record technology programs, at the direction of the supervisor, on unit operations, coding, abstracting, and use of an electronic medical record;
· Uses a variety of Windows based applications in day to day activities and duties, such as Outlook, Excel, Word, and Access; competent in use of the medical record applications (VistA and CPRS) as well as the code selection software (e.g., Nuance nCoder+ Suite);
· Identifies the principal diagnosis and procedure for every inpatient discharge; Identifies significant complications and/or co-morbidities treated or impacting treatment to correctly determine the proper Diagnostic Related Group (DRG).
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, Full-Time, 8:00am-4:30pm
Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP):
The incumbent for this position may be eligible to apply for the Education Debt Reduction Program. The Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-146) (“Choice Act”) increased the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) maximum loan repayment amount from $60,000 to $120,000 over a five year period and from $12,000 to $24,000 per year. The EDRP incentive is designed to assist individuals in reducing their qualifying loan balances and in retaining employees by reimbursing loan payments of up to $120,000 over a five year service period. Please contact Human Resources at this medical center and speak with the Education Debt Reduction Program Coordinator for additional information.
***RELOCATION EXPENSES AND/OR INCENTIVES ARE NOT AUTHORIZED***
QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:
To apply for this position, you must have the following qualifications:
BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
CITIZENSHIP:
Citizen of the United States.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY:
In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. The English Language proficiency statement appears on the Assessment Questionnaire.
GRANDFATHERING PROVISION: All persons employed in VHA as a MRT on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education that is 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 may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journeyman) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
(2) MRTs who are 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) MRTs initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education that meets all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
(4) Employees who are retained as a MRT under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry as a MRT.
EXPERIENCE: (In addition to the Basic requirements, you must meet the following)
Candidates must have one (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower level. Note: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs list in the knowledge, skills and abilities section below. Experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current health information or health record technology and/or cancer registry practice and may be paid or non-paid employment. Experience is only creditable if it is either directly related to the position to be filled or in a related field. Qualifying experience must also be equivalent to the next lower grade level. MRT coders analyze and abstract medical record data and assign codes using clinical classification systems. MRT coders may also provide education related to coding and documentation.
A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.
Preferred Candidates: Note: The Preferred Candidate shall posses the following:
Successful completion of an associate degree with a major field of study in medical record technology/health information technology which was accredited by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) at the time the program was completed.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): The applicant must also demonstrate the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's) for the MRT (Coder) position.:
1. Ability to analyze the medical record to identify all pertinent diagnoses and procedures for coding, and to evaluate the adequacy of the documentation. This includes the ability to read and understand the content of the medical record, the terminology, the significance of the comments, and the disease process/pathophysiology of the patient;
2. Ability to accurately perform the full scope of outpatient coding, including ambulatory surgical cases, diagnostic studies and procedures, and outpatient encounters, and/or inpatient coding, including inpatient discharges, surgical cases, diagnostic studies and procedures, and inpatient professional fees;
3. Skill in interpreting and adapting health information guidelines and ability to use judgment in completing assignments using incomplete or inadequate guidelines.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
Applicant's education and experience will be reviewed by a Professional Standards Board in determining the grade and salary of the applicant selected. The recommended salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
See VA Directive and Handbook 5019
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; religious; 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.
PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. 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.
Veteran's Preference: When applying for Federal jobs, eligible veterans should claim preference on the Occupational Questionnaire in the section provided and provide a legible copy of DD-214(s) showing all dates of service as well as character of service (honorable, general, etc.). Additionally, veterans with service-connected disability of 10% or more must also submit a copy of their official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying their service-connected disability and/or their receipt of compensation for service-connected disability. If the military member is within 120 days of separation and does not yet have a DD214, the member may instead submit any written document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is signed.
Veterans with service-connected disability of less than 10%, nonservice-connected disability, and Purple Heart recipients, as-well-as those claiming derived preference for a spouse, widow or widower, or natural mother, should refer to and submit a completed SF 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," and required documentation with your application materials.
For more information on Veterans' Preference, go to http://www.opm.gov/veterans/html/vetsinfo.asp.
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