This position, located in Health Information Management at Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System, involves coding and auditing patient records, ensuring coding accuracy and compliance. Candidates must be skilled in ICD, CPT, and HCPCS, and may provide coding education and conduct audits to improve data quality and documentation.
Qualifications:
Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.BASIC REQUIREMENTS:a.
Citizenship:- Must be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed only when qualified U.S. citizens are unavailable, per chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g.)
b.
Experience and Education: Applicants must meet one of the following:
- Experience:
- One year of creditable experience demonstrating knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, medical coding, and the structure and format of health records.
OR- Education:
- Associate's degree from an accredited college or university (recognized by the U.S. Department of Education) in health information technology/health information management, or a related degree with at least 12 semester hours in health information technology/management (e.g., medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, medical coding, health records courses).
OR- AHIMA-Approved Coding Program:
- Completion of an AHIMA-approved or equivalent in-depth coding program of approximately one year or more, including anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, basic ICD diagnostic/procedural, and basic CPT coding courses.
- The program must have led to coding certification eligibility, and the sponsoring institution must have been accredited by a U.S. Department of Education-accredited (or comparable international) accreditor when completed.
OR- Equivalent Combination of Experience and Education
- Acceptable combinations include:
- a. Six months of creditable experience (see above) plus one year above high school (minimum of 6 semester hours of health information technology courses).
- b. Completion of medical technician/hospital corpsmen/medical service specialist/hospital training programs given by the Armed Forces or U.S. Maritime Service, including anatomy, physiology, and health record techniques. This may be substituted on a month-for-month basis for up to six months of experience, plus an additional six months of creditable experience (paid or unpaid, equivalent to a MRT [Coder]).
c.
Certification:- Mastery-Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC
- A mastery level certification is recognized as an advanced credential in health information management or medical coding. This designation is limited to certifications obtained through either the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) or the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC). In order to qualify as a mastery level certification, the credential must demonstrate comprehensive competency across the occupation, rather than focusing on a single specialty area. Stand-alone specialty certifications do not meet this standard and therefore are not acceptable for qualification purposes. It is important to note that certification titles may evolve over time, and certifying bodies may update the list of accepted mastery-level certifications. As of now, the following certifications are considered mastery level: Certified Coding Specialist (CCS), Certified Coding Specialist - Physician-based (CCS-P), Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT), Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), Certified Professional Coder (CPC), Certified Outpatient Coder (COC), and Certified Inpatient Coder (CIC).
Note:- Mastery level certification is required for all positions above journey level; clinical documentation improvement certification may substitute for mastery certification in relevant assignments.
GRADE DETERMINATIONS - In addition to the basic requirements, you must also meet the following criteria for the specified grade levels:
Medical Records Technician (Coder) Auditor, GS-9Experience:- One year of creditable experience equivalent to the journey grade level of a MRT (Coder).
Certification:- Mastery level certification required (see Basic Requirements section for accepted certifications).
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): Candidates must demonstrate all the following:
- Advanced knowledge of coding classification systems (ICD, CPT, HCPCS) for the relevant subspecialty.
- Ability to research and resolve complex coding convention/guideline questions promptly and accurately.
- Ability to review coded data/supporting documents for compliance with standards and documentation requirements.
- Ability to format and present audit results, identify trends, and provide improvement guidance.
- Skill in interpersonal relations and conflict resolution across all organizational levels.
Preferred Experience:- At least 5 years of production outpatient coding experience, comprised of primary care and multiple specialties, preferably in a hospital setting, as a certified coder
- Experience conducting outpatient encounter coding audits
- Performed leadership role over small coding teams to optimized performance
- Reviewed data sets and performing analytical assessment in deducing trends and adverse findings
- Development of action plans to correct or improve coding performance
- Providing training and education to both providers and coders, including development of training products and conducting group and one-on-one briefs on the material; demonstrated proficiency in spreadsheets such as Microsoft Excel and presentation software such as Microsoft Power Point
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
This vacancy is above the full performance level.
Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health SeEducation:
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/.Employment Type: OTHER