Medical Records Technician (CDIS Inpatient/Outpatient)

Summary

This position is located in the Health Information Management (HIM) section at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System VA Medical Center. The Medical Records Technician (CDIS- Outpatient/Inpatient) is responsible for abstracting medical record data and assigning codes using current clinical classification systems appropriate for the type of care provided.

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Duties

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Major duties for the position include (but are not limited to):

• Applies comprehensive knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy & physiology, disease processes, treatment modalities, diagnostic tests, medications, procedures as well as the principles and practices of health services and the organizational structure to ensure proper code selection.
• Selects and assigns codes from the current version of several coding systems to include current versions of the international Classification of Diseases (ICD), Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), and/or Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS).
• 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. Also applies codes based on guidelines specific to certain diagnoses, procedures, and other criteria (in inpatient and outpatient settings used to classify patients under the Veterans Equitable Resources Allocation (VERA) program that categorizes all VA patients into specific classes representing their clinical conditions and resources needs.
• Monitors ever-changing regulatory and policy requirements affecting coded information for the full spectrum of services provided by the VAMC. Timely compliance with coding changes is crucial to the accuracy of the facility database as well as all cost recovery programs.
• Assists facility staff with documentation requirements to completely and accurately reflect the patient care provided; provides technical support in the areas of regulations and policy, coding requirements, resident supervision, reimbursement, workload, accepted nomenclature, and proper sequencing. Ensures provider documentation is complete and supports the diagnoses and procedures coded. Directly consults with the professional staff for clarification of conflicting or ambiguous clinical data. Reports incorrect documentation or codes in the electronic patient health record.
• Expertly searches the patient health record to find documentation justifying code assignment based on an expanded knowledge of the organization and structure of the patient record.
• Uses a variety of window-based applications in day-to-day activities and duties, such as Outlook, Excel, Word, and Access; competent in use of the health record applications (VistA and CPRS) as well as the encoder product suite. Ensures current versions of all software applications are loaded and functional after any updates or changes.
• Collaboratively works with the professional clinical staff and provides support and education on documentation issues. Assists in the development of guidelines for data compatibility, consistency, and monitoring for compliance to improve the quality for clinical, financial, and administrative data to ensure that all information is fully documented and supported. Such efforts are conducted to ensure the accuracy of billing denials and prevention against fraud and abuse and to optimize the medical center's authorized reimbursement for utilization of resources provided.
• As a technical expert in health record documentation matters, provides advice and guidance in relation to issues such as documentation requirements, liability issues, advance directives, informed consent, patient privacy and confidentiality, state reporting, etc.
• Analyzes situations or processes and recommends improvements or changes in documentation as deemed necessary. May assist in writing coding protocol/policies which will reflect the required changes to enhance revenue through improved documentation.
• Compiles, reviews, abstracts, analyzes and interprets medical data incidental to a variety of patient care and treatment activities. Conducts daily reviews of all new admissions to designated clinical services to identify those with potential documentation improvements through periodic evaluation during the patient's stay. Reviews the health record and discusses the case with the clinical staff. Performs admission reviews for specific patient populations to facilitate appropriate clinical documentation and ensures the level of services and acuity of care are accurately reflected in the health record. Reviews the appropriateness of patient working Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) and length of stay information by reviewing all clinical documentation, lab results, diagnostic information and treatment to ensure documentation reflects severity of illness, acuity and resource consumption.

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday, 7:00 am - 3:30 pm, (Subject to change based on the needs of the facility.)

Telework : Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # :629-00559-F

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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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 ( 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.

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. English

Language Proficiency . MRTs (Coder) must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Experience and Education.

Experience. One year of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, medical coding, and the structure and format of a health records.

OR

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 and physiology, medical coding, and introduction to health records);

OR

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;

OR,

Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of creditable experience and education are qualifying 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).

Certification . Persons hired or reassigned to MRT (Coder) positions in the GS-0675 series in VHA must have either (1), (2), or (3) below:(1) Apprentice/Associate Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC.(2) Mastery Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC.(3) Clinical Documentation Improvement Certification through AHIMA or ACDIS.

NOTE: Mastery level certification is required for all positions above the journey level; however, for clinical documentation improvement specialist assignments, a clinical documentation improvement certification may be substituted for a mastery level certification

Grandfathering Provision. 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). **Please see full details under the Education section of this job announcement.

Grade Determinations :

Medical Records Technician (Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist (CDIS-Outpatient and Inpatient)), GS-9

(a) Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the journey grade level of a MRT (Coder-Outpatient and Inpatient);

OR ,

An associate's degree or higher, and three years of experience in clinical documentation improvement (candidates must also have successfully completed coursework in medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, medical coding, and introduction to health records);

OR,

Mastery level certification through AHIMA or AAPC and two years of experience in clinical documentation improvement;

OR,

Clinical experience such as RN, M.D., or DO, and one year of experience in clinical documentation improvement.

Certification. Employees at this level must have either a mastery level certification or a clinical documentation improvement certification.

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

i. Knowledge of coding and documentation concepts, guidelines, and clinical terminology.

ii . Knowledge of anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology to interpret and analyze all information in a patient's health record, including laboratory and other test results to identify opportunities for more precise and/or complete documentation in the health record.

iii . Ability to collect and analyze data and present results in various formats, which may include presenting reports to various organizational levels. iv. Ability to establish and maintain strong verbal and written communication with providers.

v. Knowledge of regulations that define healthcare documentation requirements, including The Joint Commission, CMS, and VA guidelines.

vi . Extensive knowledge of coding rules and regulations, to include current clinical classification systems such as ICDCM and PCS, CPT, and HCPCS. They must also possess knowledge of complication or comorbidity/major complication or comorbidity (CC/MCC), MS-DRG structure, and POA indicators.

vii. Knowledge of severity of illness, risk of mortality, complexity of care for inpatients, and CPT Evaluation and Management (E/M) criteria to ensure the correct selection of E/M codes that match patient type, setting of service, and level of E/M service provided for outpatients.

viii. Knowledge of training methods and teaching skills sufficient to conduct continuing education for staff development. The training sessions may be technical in nature or may focus on teaching techniques for the improvement of clinical documentation issues.

Preferred Experience: The preferred candidate will have a strong background and skill set as detailed below:

• A minimum of 3 years of coding experience in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
• Proven experience in Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) workflows, ensuring the accuracy and completeness of clinical documentation.
• Excellent communication skills, with experience presenting to and engaging large groups effectively.
• Proficient understanding and usage of medical terminology.
• High technical proficiency within the Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Familiarity and practical experience working within Veterans Health Administration (VHA) systems.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, facilitating clear and precise information relay.
• Highly task-oriented and detail-oriented, demonstrating the ability to manage and prioritize tasks efficiently and meticulously.
• Candidates who meet these experience criteria will be well-positioned to excel in the role of MRT - Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialist, contributing to the improvement of clinical documentation quality and ensuring compliance with relevant standards and regulations.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit full performance level of this vacancy is 9. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is a GS-9.

Education

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA as a MRT (Coder) 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 and certification 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 may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the journey level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but will not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.

(2) Such employees in an occupation that requires a certification only at higher grade levels must meet the certification requirement before they can be promoted to the higher-grade levels.

(3) 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.

(4) 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.

(5) 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.

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: 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:

Additional information

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.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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