Summary This position is located in the Health Information Management (HIM) Section of Health Administration Service at the William S. Middleton Memorial VA Hospital. Medical Records Administration Specialist (MRAS) in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) perform work concerned with the management of a health record program or the provision of services related to medical record administration/health information services Responsibilities Major duties include but are not limited to: Perform data mining; complex data analysis; and interpret and transform data into accurate, consistent, and timely information Present findings and recommendations to the Chief of HIM (CHIM) and facility leadership 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 Prepare workload and production reports, monitor trends to identify efficiencies and outliers, and recommend appropriate actions Design and perform quality improvement projects related to health information management to identify and recommend ways of eliminating, combining, simplifying or improving procedures and processes Compile diagnostic, procedural, and statistical data, and present reports locally, regionally, or nationally Provide training for HIM, clinical and administrative staff on HIM topics Work Schedule: 8:00am to 4:30pm M-F Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Experience: Three years of 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 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. AND Certification: Must possess one of the following certifications Coding Certification through AHIMA or AAPC - Mastery certification obtained through the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) or the American Association of Professional Coders (AAPC). Current mastery level coding certifications include: Certified Coding Specialist (CCS), Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) - Physician-based (CCS-P), Certified Professional Coder (CPC), Certified Outpatient Coder (COC), and Certified Inpatient Coder (CIC). OR HIM Certification through AHIMA - Higher-level health information management certification obtained through AHIMA. Current HIM certifications include Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) and Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) OR Health Data Analyst Certification through AHIMA - Certification obtained through AHIMA that certifies mastery in health data analysis. Current health data analyst certification includes Certified Health Data Analyst (CHDA) You MUST provide a copy of your certifications with your application 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). IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS LISTED ABOVE, YOU MUST MEET THE GRADE REQUIREMENTS AT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING GRADE LEVELS TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION. GS-05 Experience: None beyond the basic requirements. Employees at this grade level serve in an MRA career development position under close supervision. GS-07 Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-05). Experience is only creditable if it is in health information management and is directly related to the position to be filled. OR Education: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a major field of study in health information management, with an exemplary academic record as demonstrated by: A 3.0 or higher-grade point average (GPA) out of a possible 4.0 GPA (''B" or better), as recorded on their official transcript or as computed based on four years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final two years of the curriculum A 3.5 GPA or higher out of a possible 4.0 GPA ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field of study, or the required courses completed in the major field of study during the final two years of the curriculum. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Knowledge of current classification systems such as International Classification of Diseases, Current Procedural Terminology, and the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS). Ability to effectively communicate (written and verbal) with medical center staff, patients, and external entities. Ability to use data collection and analytical techniques for purposes of review, quality control, studies and analysis of health information. Ability to utilize computer applications with varied functions to produce a wide range of reports, to abstract records, collect and analyze data and present results in various formats. Ability to work independently, adapt to shifting priorities, and meet deadlines. GS-09 Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-07) that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics described at that level. OR Education: Education equivalent to two full years of progressively higher level graduate education or a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree from an accredited college or university in a field directly related to health information management. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Knowledge of medical and legal requirements related to health information management and health records. Ability to provide technical advice and guidance on health information management practices. Skill in extracting data from various sources and analyzing health information to create reports. Skill in researching, interpreting, and applying health information management guidelines. Knowledge of performance and process improvement techniques to develop new or improved solutions in health information management. GS-11 Experience: . One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-09) that demonstrates all of the knowledge, skills and abilities described at that level. OR Education: Education equivalent to three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or a Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited university or college in the field of health information management. AND Demonstrated Knowledges, Skills, and Abilities: Skill in performance and process improvement techniques to develop and implement new or improved solutions in health information management. Ability to advise management and staff, at various levels, regarding health record documentation requirements and health information management practices based on current industry standards, policies, statues, laws, and regulations. Ability to plan, justify, develop, evaluate, assess, monitor, and advise on current health information management processes and recommend changes in policies or procedures. Ability to determine and evaluate compliance with legal, ethical, and regulatory guidelines and accrediting bodies, as they apply to health information management. Ability to acquire, manage, analyze, interpret, and transform data into accurate, consistent, and meaningful information. 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-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-05 to GS-11. 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 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. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. 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.
