Medical Records Administrator (Chief Health Information Management)

Job Title

Chief of Health Information Management

Duties

This is an open continuous announcement and will remain open until September 30, 2026. The first cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be 6/15/2026. All eligible applicants will be reviewed and referred to the hiring manager no later than 6/22/2026. Eligible applications received after 6/15/2026 will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis. General functions include:

• Serve as Chief of Health Information Management (CHIM) with full program responsibility for all facets of the Health Information Management (HIM) program and processes.
• Ensure HIM program meets and exceeds national HIM policies, procedures, and performance metrics.
• Responsible for the administrative management of health records; plan, manage, advise, and direct the health information program in accordance with applicable Federal laws, facility by-laws, VHA policy, The Joint Commission (TJC) standards, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), and other regulatory and accrediting agency standards.
• Responsible for all facets of health records management for the facility ensuring maintenance of complete, accurate, timely, clinically pertinent, and readily-accessible patient health records, which contain sufficient recorded information to serve as a basis to plan patient care, support diagnoses, warrant treatment, measure outcomes, support education, research, and facilitate performance improvement processes and legal requirements.
• Develop policies, processes, and procedures that address all VA, Federal, regulatory, and accrediting requirements for HIM.

Clinical support role includes:

• Be a key advisor to the Chief of Staff, Executive Management, and clinicians.
• Provide technical guidance on health information issues such as documentation requirements, liability issues, advance directives, informed consent, release of information, transcription/speech recognition, and health information exchange.
• Complete internal quality assurance reviews to ensure employee performance meets quality and quantity standards.
• Provide management officials with health records review results and trends on an ongoing basis.

Administration and strategic planning includes:

• Has full operational responsibility to set and carry out the strategic direction, mission, and vision for VAPSHCS' Health Information Management Services.
• Coordinate individual and group activities to accomplish overall VA, VISN, and Puget Sound goals.
• Coordinate plans with needs of various VA strategic health groups, provide subject matter expertise, advice, assistance, and guidance in response to questions posed by the Service Line Leaders and other System staff on health information management policy and program needs/issues at the local, VISN and national levels.

Contract management includes:

• Administer the Transcription and Coding Contract(s); prepare and monitor budget for contract.
• Ensure outsourced coding personnel understand and agree to adhere to VA and Puget Sound's HIM compliance program and complete yearly required confidentiality, privacy, and security training.
• Ensure quality controls are in place for any scope of work conducted by contractors.
• Collaborate with Service Lines to improve documentation, coding, and reporting for workload, billing, Fee Basis, and other emerging initiatives.

Auditing and training includes:

• Develop and coordinate training programs in various areas of health information management, such as medical terminology, health record documentation, release of information, medico-legal matters, speech recognition/transcription, scanning, medical coding, clinical documentation improvement, and health information exchange.
• Responsible for establishing formal affiliation with university programs in health information and precepting students from such programs.
• Responsible for coordinating health information training for medical school students and residents to achieve conformance with prescribed standards.

Personnel management includes:

• Responsible for overall personnel management for staff in the assigned units and determines staffing patterns and reassigns personnel to meet changing conditions.
• Make selections for immediate subordinate positions.
• Review and approve selections made by subordinate supervisors.

Community service includes:

• Develop and maintain affiliation agreements with AHIMA recognized schools and programs for health information management and technology.
• Provide internship and directed student learning opportunities for HIM students and newly graduated professionals; actively support other training such as Veteran Work-Study, Veteran Readjustment Employees, and numerous programs with local learning institutions.

Work Schedule

Mon - Fri, 8:00am to 4:30pm

Telework

Ad-hoc

Virtual

This is not a virtual position

Functional Statement #

000000

Relocation/Recruitment Incentive

May be authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS)

Not authorized