Medical Records Administrative Specialist (Charge Analyst)

This position is located in the Health Information Management (HIM) Section of Patient Business Service at the VA Central Ohio Health Care System. Medical Records Administration Specialist (MRAS) in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) perform work concerned with the management of a health record program or the provision of services related to medical record administration/health information 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.
• Experience and/or Education :
  • Experience . Three (3) years of creditable experience in the field of medical records that included the preparation, maintenance, and management of health records and health information systems demonstrating a knowledge of medical terminology, medical records, procedures, medical coding, or medical, administrative and legal requirements of health care delivery systems; OR,
  • Education . Successful completion of a Bachelor's degree or higher 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 health information technology; OR,
  • Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of creditable experience and education, totaling 100%, that qualify for meeting the basic requirements.
• Certification . Persons hired or reassigned to MRA positions in the GS-0669 series in VHA must meet one of the following:
  • Coding Certification through AHIMA or AAPC; OR,
  • Health Information Management (HIM) Certification through AHIMA; OR,
  • Health Data Analyst Certification through AHIMA or ACDIS.
• English Language Proficiency . MRAs must be proficient in spoken and written English. See 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).

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 :In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met: GS-05 Experience and/or Education:

• None beyond the basic requirements.

GS-07 Experience and/or Education:

• Experience: In addition to the basic requirements, one year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. This experience may include but is not limited to: generating multiple HIM reports; participate in various health record review activities to ensure the integrity of the health record according to established policies; 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, with an exemplary academic record as demonstrated by:

• A 3.0 or higher-grade point average (GPA) out of a possible 4.0 GPA (''B" or better), as recorded on their official transcript or as computed based on four years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final two years of the curriculum; OR,

• A 3.5 GPA or higher out of a possible 4.0 GPA (''B+" or better) based on the average of there quired courses completed in the major field of study, or the required courses completed in the major field of study during the final two years of the curriculum. AND,

Demonstrated KSAs. In addition to the education and/or experience described above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following:

1. Knowledge of current classification systems, such as International Classification of Diseases, Current Procedural Terminology, and the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS).
2. Ability to effectively communicate (written and verbal) with medical center staff, patients, and external entities.
3. Ability to use data collection and analytical techniques for purposes of review, quality control, studies and analysis of health information.
4. Ability to utilize computer applications with varied functions to produce a wide range of reports, to abstract records, collect and analyze data and present in various formats.
5. Ability to work independently, adapt to shifting priorities, and meet deadlines.

GS-09 Experience and/or Education:

• Experience : One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. This experience may include but is not limited to: responsible for generating, analyzing, and presenting multiple HIM reports; monitor health record data integrity per established policies, procedures, and industry standards; prepare workload and production reports and monitor trends to identify efficiencies and deviations; participate in various health record review activities; participate in various facility and regional committees requiring health information management subject matter expertise; OR,
• Education. Education equivalent to two full years of progressively higher level graduate education or a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree from an accredited college or university in a field directly related to health information management. AND,

Demonstrated KSAs. In addition to the education and/or experience described above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following:

1. Knowledge of medical and legal requirements related to health information management and health records.
2. Ability to provide technical advice and guidance on health information management practices.
3. Skill in extracting data from various sources and analyzing health information management to create reports.
4. Skill in researching, interpreting, and applying health information management guidelines.
5. Knowledge of performance and process improvement techniques to develop new or improved solutions in health information management.

GS-11 Experience and/or Education:

• Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. This experience may include but is not limited to: responsible for generating and analyzing multiple HIM reports and identifying best practices or opportunities for improvement; perform workflow analyses, recommend process improvements, and implement changes to improve the productivity and quality controls of the HIM department; monitor reports, trends, and health record data integrity according to established policies, procedures, and industry standards; participate in various health record review activities; participate in various facility and regional committees requiring health information management subject matter expertise; OR ,
• Education . Education equivalent to three full years of progressively higher-level education or a PhD, or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited university or college in the field of health information management. AND,

Demonstrated KSAs. In addition to the education and/or experience described above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following:

1. Skill in performance and process improvement techniques to develop and implement new or improved solutions in health information management.
2. Ability to advise management and staff, at various levels, regarding health record documentation requirements and health information management practices based on current industry standards, policies, statues, laws, and regulations.
3. Ability to plan, justify, develop, evaluate, assess, monitor, and advise on current health information management processes and recommend changes in policies and procedures.
4. Ability to determine and evaluate compliance with legal, ethical, and regulatory guidelines and accrediting bodies, as they apply to health information management.
5. Ability to acquire, manage, analyze, interpret, and transform data into accurate, consistent, and meaningful information.

References: VA Handbook 5005/130, Part II, Appendix G33The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. 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: . 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: .