Medical Records Technician (Release of Information)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Saint Cloud (MN); On-site; USD 43,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, St. Cloud VAMC, Health Information Management (HIM) unit seeks a Medical Records Technician (ROI) to review and process requests for PHI and to provide copies to Veterans or authorized third parties upon signed requests or valid authorizations.

This role requires knowledge of health information management, privacy laws, and the ability to work with electronic health records and ROI systems to ensure timely, accurate disclosures.

Qualifications

• Associate degree or higher in HIM or related field with health information coursework.
• Familiarity with privacy and release of information requirements.
• Ability to use EHR and ROI systems for PHI disclosures.
• Knowledge of health record documentation guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Review and process requests for PHI disclosures.
• Provide copies of PHI to Veterans or authorized third parties.
• Deliver direct customer service regarding PHI requests.
• Follow privacy laws and internal policies in disclosures.

Skills

Medical terminology

Privacy and release of information

Health information management

Prioritization and time management

Communication across backgrounds

Education

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

Bachelor's degree in health information management or related with 24 semester hours in HIM

Tools

Electronic health record (EHR) systems

Release of Information systems

Job description

This position is located in the Health Information Management (HIM) section at the St. Cloud Minnesota VHA Medical Center. The MRT (ROI) reviews and processes requests for patient protected health information (PHI). The MRT (ROI) also provides direct customer service to the Veteran (or third party), by providing copies of the Veteran's PHI, when a signed, written request is received, or upon the Veteran's valid authorization to a third party.

Basic Requirements

• United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, of this part.)
• Experience and Education
  • Experience. One year of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology and general understanding of health records. Six months of the required one year of creditable experience must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) needed to perform MRT (ROI) work. OR,
  • 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, legal aspects of health care, and introduction to health records).OR,
  • Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of creditable experience and education are qualifying towards meeting basic experience requirements. The following experience and educational/training substitutions are appropriate for combining education and creditable experience:
    • Six months of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, privacy and release of information, the health record, and one year above high school with a minimum of six semester hours of health information technology/health information management courses.
    • Six months of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, privacy and release of information, the health record, and 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. The training program may be substituted on a month-for-month basis for up to six months of experience provided the training program included courses in anatomy and physiology, and health record techniques and procedures.

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

Medical Records Technician (ROI), GS-4

Experience or Education. None beyond basic requirements.

Medical Records Technician (ROI), 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 technology/health information management (e.g., courses in medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, legal aspects of health care, and introduction to health records).

AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

1. Ability to utilize health information technology and various office software products utilized in MRT (ROI) positions (e.g., the electronic health record, release of information systems, etc.).
2. Knowledge of health record documentation guidelines and processes for disclosing protected health information.
3. Ability to manage priorities and coordinate work in order to complete duties within required timeframes, and the ability to follow-up on pending issues.
4. Knowledge of policies, procedures, laws, and regulations governing privacy and release of information.
5. Ability to communicate with individuals from various backgrounds to obtain the desired effect or gaining information by establishing rapport.

Medical Records Technician (ROI), 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:

1. Knowledge of the laws and regulations related to the authorization and disclosure of health information (e.g., Privacy Act, Freedom of Information Act, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and 38 U.S.C. § 7332, Confidentiality of Certain Medical Records).
2. Ability to apply health record documentation guidelines and processes to navigate efficiently through the paper and/or electronic health record to locate, assemble, and disclose protected health information.
3. Ability to apply policies, procedures, laws, and regulations governing privacy and release of information to process requests for release of information.
4. Ability to research and solve difficult questions related to release of health information in an accurate and timely manner.

Preferred Experience

Computer experience with excel and word documents, customer service experience and Release of Information experience.

Reference

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-4. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-4 to GS-6.

Physical Requirements

You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.