Medical Records Technician (Coder-Outpatient)

This position is located in the Health Administration Service (HAS), Health Information Management (HIM) section of the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital in Columbia, MO. The Medical Record Technician (Coder-Outpatient) is 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. Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The duties of the position include but are not limited to: Perform the full scope of outpatient coding including ambulatory surgical cases, diagnostic studies and procedures, outpatient encounters, and/or inpatient professional services Review and abstract clinical data from the record for documentation of diagnoses and procedures to ensure it is adequate and appropriate to support the assigned codes Code all complicated and complex disease processes, patient injuries, and all procedures in a wide range of ambulatory settings and specialties Consult with the clinical staff for clarification of conflicting, incomplete, or ambiguous clinical data in the health record Review provider health record documentation to ensure that it supports the diagnostic and procedural codes assigned and is consistent with required medical coding nomenclature Assign codes to documented patient care encounters (outpatient and/or inpatient professional services) covering the full range of health care services provided by the VAMC Monitor ever-changing regulatory and policy requirements affecting coded information for the full spectrum of services provided by the VAMC Perform a comprehensive review of the patient health record to abstract medical, surgical, ancillary, demographic, social, and administrative data to ensure complete data capture Insure provider documentation is complete and supports the diagnoses and procedures coded Search the patient health record to find documentation justifying code assignment based on an expanded knowledge of the organization and structure of the patient record Utilize the facility computer system and software applications to correctly code, abstract, record, and transmit data to the national VA database Establish the primary and secondary diagnosis and procedure codes for outpatient encounters following applicable regulations, instructions, and requirements for allowable reimbursement Code all Operating Room procedures reported in the Surgical Package of the VistA hospital system Review and code assigned fee service Care in the Community outpatient encounters using the paper or electronic documentation obtained from non-VA facilities such as Community Hospitals, Emergency Rooms, military facilities, etc Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Remote: This position is remote work eligible and is currently exempted from return to office requirements. Remote exempted positions are reviewed annually and do not imply permanent remote work status. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Medical Records Technician (Coder Outpatient) Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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. 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'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 December 10, 2019 VA 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:(a) 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.(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. Persons 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. 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: Medical Records Technician (Coder-Outpatient) Medical Records Technician, GS-4 Experience or Education. None beyond basic requirements. Medical Records Technician, 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.…