Lead Medical Records Technician (Coder)

Veterans Health Administration; Pineville (LA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

The Veterans Health Administration seeks a Medical Records Technician (Coder) to classify data from patient health records within the Central Alexandria VA Health Care System. This role requires knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, and coding procedures to ensure accurate health records management.

Applicants may be referred if still meeting education/certification requirements. Eligibility for coding certification and appropriate certifications are considered for

Qualifications

• One year of creditable experience indicating knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, medical coding, and the structure and format of a health records.
• Associate's degree with required coursework in health information technology/health information management or related degree with 12+ semester hours in health information technology/health information management.
• Completion of an AHIMA approved coding program leading to eligibility for coding certification examination.

Responsibilities

• Lead MRT (Coder) activities, provide technical guidance, and coordinate workload and progress to complete duties.
• Apply and ensure accuracy of coding classifications and guidelines for outpatient and inpatient records.

Skills

Medical terminology

Anatomy & physiology

Pathophysiology

Medical coding

Health records structure & format

Education

Associate's degree in health information technology/health information management

AHIMA/AAPC coding program completion

Job description

This position is located in the Health Information Management (HIM) section at the Central Alexandria VA Health Care System. Medical Records Technician (Coder) are skilled in classifying medical data from patient health records in the hospital setting, and/or physician-based settings, such as physician offices, group practices, multi-specialty clinics, and specialty centers.

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.

Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Experience and Education

• (1) 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, (2) 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, (3) 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, (4) 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 4 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

• Candidates 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.

Grade Determinations

In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: (KSAs must be clearly reflected in resume under description of duties in order to be found qualified for this position/grade level).

Lead Medical Records Technician (Coder), GS-9

Experience: One (1) year of creditable experience equivalent to the journey grade level MRT (Coder).

Certification: Employees at this level must have a mastery level certification Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to work with a team to provide technical guidance, plan, organize, and coordinate activities in order to effectively complete job duties of assignment, such as distributing workload, monitoring the status and progress of work, monitoring accuracy of work, etc. Advanced knowledge of current coding classification systems for the subspecialty being assigned (outpatient, inpatient, outpatient and inpatient combined) and the ability to research and solve complex questions related to coding conventions and guidelines in an accurate and timel