Medical Records Technician (Coder - Inpatient)

US Department of Veterans Affairs; Lexington (KY); On-site; USD 50,000 - 74,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking Medical Record Technicians (MRTs) to classify medical data from patient health records and assign codes to inpatient facility and professional services. The role requires knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, and coding guidelines.

Candidates may have varying education/certification pathways and must meet basic requirements for federal employment.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology.
• Knowledge of ICD-CM and PCS Official Conventions and Guidelines for Coding and Reporting.
• Ability to apply medical terminology and health record knowledge to assign codes.

Responsibilities

• Classify medical data from health records and assign codes for inpatient facility and professional services.
• Apply coding guidelines to ensure accurate coding and documentation.

Skills

Medical terminology

Anatomy & physiology

Medical coding

Health information management

Documentation & record review

Education

Associate degree in health information technology/health information management

AHIMA/AAPC coding certification program

Job description

Medical Record Technicians (MRTs) (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. MRTs apply knowledge of medical record content, terminology, anatomy, diseases processes, and official coding guidelines to assign codes to the most basic and routine inpatient facility and/or professional services. 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.
• English Language Requirement: Must be proficient in spoken and written English
• Certification: Must meet one of the 3 required certifications listed below
  • Apprentice/Associate Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC.
  • Mastery Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC.
  • Clinical Documentation Improvement Certification through AHIMA or ACDIS.
• 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 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:
  • 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.
  • 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 an MRT (Coder).

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).

Grade Determinations:GS-4 -

• Experience - None above the Basic Requirements

GS-5 -

• Experience - One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level;

OR

• Education - Successful completion of a bachelor'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 management or a related degree with a minimum of 24 semester hours in health information management or technology.
• Demonstrate all of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA):
  • Ability to use health information technology and various office software products used in MRT (Coder) positions (e.g., the electronic health record, coding and abstracting software, etc.).
  • Ability to navigate through and abstract pertinent information from health records.
  • Knowledge of the ICD CM and PCS Official Conventions and Guidelines for Coding and Reporting.
  • Ability to apply knowledge of medical terminology, human anatomy/physiology, and disease processes to accurately assign codes to inpatient records based on health record documentation.
  • Knowledge of The Joint Commission requirements, CMS, and/or health record documentation guidelines.
  • Ability to manage priorities and coordinate work to complete duties within required timeframes and the ability to follow-up on pending issues.

GS-6 -

• Experience - One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, and
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities - In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • Ability to analyze the health record to identify all pertinent diagnoses and procedures for coding and to evaluate the adequacy of the documentation.
  • Ability to determine whether health records contain sufficient information for regulatory requirements, are acceptable as legal documents, are adequate for continuity of patient care, and support the assigned codes. This includes the ability to take appropriate actions if health record contents are not complete, accurate, timely, and/or reliable.
  • Ability to apply laws and regulations on the confidentiality of health information (e.g., Privacy Act, Freedom of Information Act, and HIPAA).
  • Ability to accurately apply the ICD CM and PCS Official Conventions and Guidelines for Coding and Reporting to various coding scenarios.
  • Comprehensive knowledge of current classification systems, such as ICD Clinical Modification (CM) and PCS, CPT, and HCPCS, and skill in applying said classifications to inpatient records based on health record documentation.
  • Knowledge of complication or comorbidity/major complication or comorbidity (CC/MCC), and POA indicators to obtain correct Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Group (MS-DRG).

GS-7 -

• Experience - One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, and
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities - In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • Skill in applying current coding classifications to a variety of inpatient specialty care areas to accurately reflect service and care provided based on documentation in the health record.
  • Ability to communicate with clinical staff for specific coding and documentation issues, such as recording diagnoses and procedures, the correct sequencing of diagnoses and/or procedures, and the relationship between health record documentation and code assignment.
  • Ability to research and solve coding and documentation related issues.
  • Skill in reviewing and correcting system or processing errors and ensuring all assigned work is complete.
  • Ability to abstract, assign, and sequence codes, including complication or comorbidity/major complication or comorbidity (CC/MCC), and POA indicators, to obtain correct MS-DRG.

Qualifications Section continued... Please see "Education Section"