Medical Records Administrator (Chief HIM- CHIM)

Summary This position is located in the Health Information Management (HIM) Section of Business Office at the VA Portland Healthcare System. Medical Records Administrators (MRAs) in VHA perform or supervise work concerned with the management of a health record program or the provision of services related to medical record administration/health information services. Position reports to the Chief of the Business Office or acting thereof. Qualifications Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. 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 Education or Experience: Experience: Three years of creditable 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 creditable 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 Certification: Persons hired or reassigned to MRA positions in the GS-0669 series in VHA must meet one of the following: 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) OR - HIM Certification through AHIMA- Higher-level health information management certification is limited to certification obtained through AHIMA To be acceptable for qualifications - the specific certification must represent a comprehensive competency in the occupation Certification titles may change and certifications that meet the definition of HIM certification may be added/removed by the above certifying body however - current HIM certifications include Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) and Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) OR - Health Data Analyst Certification through AHIMA Grade Determinations: Medical Records Administrator - GS-13 Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level that demonstrates all the KSAs described at that level Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities: In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all the following KSAs: Ability to determine and evaluate compliance with legal - ethical and regulatory guidelines and accrediting bodies - as they apply to health information management Ability to provide sound - technical guidance to staff at various levels about major program - legal - or procedural changes related to health information management Skill in revising facility policies and procedures to improve health information management services and to evaluate - modify - and/or adapt new methods to meet regulatory requirements Skill in analyzing complex data - interpreting and trending results for effective management of the HIM program Skill in management/administration - which includes program planning - coordination - interpretation - supervision - consultation - negotiation - problem solving - and monitoring of HIM processes Ability to delegate authority - evaluate and oversee people and programs - accomplish program goals - and adapt to changing priorities Certification: Employees at this level must have a HIM Certification Higher-level health information management certification is limited to certification obtained through AHIMA To be acceptable for qualifications - the specific certification must represent a comprehensive competency in the occupation Certification titles may change and certifications that meet the definition of HIM certification may be added/removed by the above certifying body however - current HIM certifications include Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) and Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. Duties The duties of this position include - but are not limited to: Serves as Chief of Health Information Management (CHIM) with full program responsibility for all facets of the Health Information Management (HIM) program and processes Serves as the Co-Chair of the Medical Records Committee - MRC Ensures HIM program meets and/or exceed national HIM policies - procedures - and performance metrics Responsible for the administrative management of health records - which includes planning - managing - advising - and directing the health information program in accordance with applicable Federal laws - facility by-laws - VHA policy - The Joint Commission (T JC) standards - the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) - and other regulatory and accrediting agency standards Creates and monitors systems to ensure accurate - timely - and complete health records - in accordance with VHA policy and T JC health information protocols Measures ongoing intradepartmental performance by establishing priorities - collecting data - monitoring and reporting outcomes - using valid and reliable techniques to analyze trends and variation - and taking appropriate action based on findings 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 Develops policies - processes - and procedures that address all VA - Federal - regulatory - and accrediting requirements for HIM Evaluates health records program and independently determines the nature and extent of problem areas Develops recommendations and solutions for program improvement Develops and implements innovative solutions to correct technical - complex problems Provides detailed technical expertise in health records science and other very technical aspects of HIM Maintains all health information input into the local VistA database and assures timely transmission of that data into all VA centralized databases - most frequently those maintained at the Austin Data Processing Center Serves as key advisor to the Chief of Staff - Executive Management - and clinicians and is responsible for providing technical guidance on health information issues such as documentation requirements - liability issues - advance directives - informed consent - release of information - transcription/speech recognition - health information exchange - etc Recommends improvements in health record documentation used to provide patient care - to optimize VERA workload - third party reimbursement and to manage resources Completes internal quality assurance reviews to ensure employee performance and that work meets quality and quantity standards Responsible for assuring that all patients have a complete - accurate - and timely record of their health care at the facility Responsible for leading the automation of all health information systems Working closely with Information Technology (IT) and Clinical Informatics - the incumbent must guide the automation of health record documentation - health record tracking - and physician incomplete record tracking The incumbent also must support the information security program and manage much of the patient information database within VistA Incumbent will work with a variety of hardware and software Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 8 hours per day May start at 7:00am - 7:30am or 8:00am Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized #J-18808-Ljbffr U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs