Medical Records Technician (ROI)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Tampa (FL); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

The James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa, FL is seeking a Medical Records Technician (ROI) to disclose health information in compliance with privacy laws. This entry- to full-performance role covers processing requests, maintaining disclosures, and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Eligibility includes U.S. citizenship, English proficiency, and either experience or education in health information management. Multiple grade levels are described with corresponding KSAs.

Qualifications

• One year of creditable experience with medical terminology and health records.
• Bachelor's degree with 24 semester hours in health information technology/health information management.
• Equivalent combinations of education and experience accepted for combining qualifications.

Responsibilities

• Receive and validate authorization forms and requests for information.
• Process and release health information to authorized requestors.
• Maintain accounting of disclosure for records disclosed from Privacy Act system.
• Prioritize requests per policies and regulations and follow up on pending issues.

Skills

English proficiency

Time management

Communication

Education

Associate's degree in HIT/HIM

Tools

Electronic health record systems

Job description

This position is located in the Health Information Management Service, James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa, FL. Medical Records Technician (Release of Information) discloses health information in accordance with all laws and regulations governing authorization and disclosure of health information.

To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement.

Basic Requirements

All applicants must meet the following basic qualifications.

• United States Citizenship: Must be a US Citizen.
• English Language Proficiency. MRTs (ROI) must be proficient in spoken and written English, as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• 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.

Grade Determinations

In addition to the basic requirements above, all applicants must also meet one of the following grade requirements to qualify for a specific grade level.

Medical Records Technician (ROI), GS-04

This is the entry level.

• Experience or Education. None beyond basic requirements.

Medical Records Technician (ROI), GS-05

You must have one year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-04 grade level. Examples of this includes, but is not limited to, performing the following type of work: receive and validate authorization forms and requests for information, and prioritize requests per policies and regulations; use various computer applications to track and release all authorized ROI requests; process and release health information to authorized first- and third-party requestors; initiate and maintain the accounting of disclosure for all records disclosed from a Privacy Act system of records; ensure compliance with policies, procedures, laws, and regulations governing privacy and release of information, etc.;

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).

In addition to the GS-05 experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all 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 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 gain information by establishing rapport.

Medical Records Technician (ROI), GS-06

This is the full performance level. You must have one year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level. Examples of this includes, but is not limited to, performing the following type of work: receive and validate authorization forms and requests for information and prioritize requests according to policies and regulations; utilize various computer applications to track and release all authorized release of information requests; process and release health information to authorized first- and third-party requestors; initiate and maintain accounting of disclosure for all records disclosed from a Privacy Act system of records; communicate with internal and external stakeholders to provide technical expertise regarding the release of information process; ensure compliance with policies, procedures, laws, and regulations governing privacy and release of information, etc.

In addition to the GS-06 experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• 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).
• 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.
• Ability to apply policies, procedures, laws, and regulations governing privacy and release of information to process requests for release of information.
• Ability to research and solve difficult questions related to release of health information in an accurate and timely manner.

Grandfathering Provision Exception: All persons employed in VHA as a MRT (ROI) on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/ registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation.

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-06. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-04 to GS-06.

Physical Requirements: Must pass a pre-employment physical examination/evaluation as required by VA Handbook 5019. This examination/evaluation is administered by VA Occupational Health.