[Hiring] Medical Records Technician @John D Dingell Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Role Description

We are seeking motivated and dependable Medical Records Technician (Coder - Inpatient)! This position is located in the Health Information Management (HIM) section at the John D Dingell VA Medical Center. MRTs (Coder) are skilled in classifying medical data from patient health records in the hospital setting, and/or physician based settings.

Responsibilities

• Assigns codes to documented patient care encounters (inpatient facility and/or professional services) covering the full range of health care services provided by the VAMC.
• Applies advanced knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy & physiology, disease processes, treatment modalities, diagnostic tests, medications, procedures as well as the principles and practices of health services and the organizational structure to ensure proper code selection.
• Selects and assigns codes from the current version of several coding systems to include current versions of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), and/or Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS).
• Adheres to accepted coding practices, guidelines and conventions when choosing the most appropriate diagnosis, operation, procedure, ancillary, or E/M code to ensure ethical, accurate, and complete coding.
• Performs a comprehensive review of the patient health record to abstract medical, surgical, ancillary, demographic, social, and administrative data to ensure complete data capture.
• Expertly searches the patient health record to find documentation justifying code assignment based on an expanded knowledge of the organization and structure of the patient record.
• Identifies the principal diagnosis and principal procedure (when applicable) for every inpatient discharge; also identifies significant complications and/or co-morbidities treated or impacting treatment to correctly determine the proper Diagnosis Related Group (DRG).
• Codes inpatient professional fee services for identified inpatient admissions.
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule

Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm. EST. This position requires the candidate to work in the Eastern Time Zone (ET) and maintain a standard business day schedule. All work, meetings, and collaboration must be conducted during these hours. Candidates must be available to respond to work-related communications and participate in scheduled activities within this time frame.

Recruitment Incentive (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).

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.

Paid Time Off

37-50 days of annual paid time off 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.

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).

Telework

This position is designated as remote. Remote work is defined as full-time employment conducted outside of a VA facility or in VA-leased spaces. The option for remote work will be assessed continuously, and the selected individual may need to return to a VA office if required. Applicants must live within 50 miles of a VA Medical Center as they may be subject to the RTO order.

Virtual

This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #

PD91169A, PD91170A, PD91171A, PD91172A, and PD91173A.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS)

Not Authorized

Qualifications

• One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
• Ability to analyze the health record to identify all pertinent diagnoses and procedures for inpatient coding and to evaluate the adequacy of the documentation.
• Ability to accurately perform the full scope of inpatient coding, including inpatient discharges, surgical cases, diagnostic studies and procedures, and inpatient professional services.
• Skill in interpreting and adapting health information guidelines that are not completely applicable to the work or have gaps in specificity.

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 Proficiency: MRTs (Coder) must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• One year of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, medical coding, and the structure and format of health records; OR, 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.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment.
• 37-50 days of annual paid time off per year.
• Childcare subsidy for eligible employees.
• Traditional federal pension and federal 401K.
• Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care insurance.