[Hiring] Medical Records Technician - Coder In/Out @VA Rocky Mountain Network

Role Description

The VISN 19 Consolidated Coding Unit (CCU) Medical Record Technician (MRT) is located within the Business Office Support Services (BOSS), Health Information Management (HIM) section, within VISN 19, Rocky Mountain VA Network.

• Assigns codes to documented patient care encounters (inpatient and outpatient) covering the full range of health care services provided by the VAMC.
• Patient encounters are often complicated and complex requiring extensive coding expertise.
• 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 Evaluation and Management code to ensure ethical, accurate, and complete coding.
• Applies codes based on guidelines specific to certain diagnoses, procedures, and other criteria (in inpatient and outpatient settings) used to classify patients under the Veterans Equitable Resource Allocation (VERA) program.
• Monitors ever-changing regulatory and policy requirements affecting coded information for the full spectrum of services provided by the VAMC.
• Performs a comprehensive review of the patient health record to abstract medical, surgical, ancillary, demographic, social, and administrative data to ensure complete data capture.
• Profiles the facility services and patient population, to determine budgetary requirements, to report to accrediting and peer review organizations, to bill insurance companies and other agencies, and to support research programs.
• Assists facility staff with documentation requirements to completely and accurately reflect the patient care provided.
• Provides technical support in the areas of regulations and policy, coding requirements, resident supervision, reimbursement, workload, accepted nomenclature, and proper sequencing.
• Ensures provider documentation is complete and supports the diagnoses and procedures coded.
• Reports incorrect documentation or codes in the electronic patient health record.
• 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.
• Corrects any identified data errors or inconsistencies in a timely manner to ensure acceptance in the national VA database within established timelines.
• Uses a variety of computer applications in day to day activities and duties, such as Outlook, Excel, Word, and Access; competent in use of the health record applications (VistA and CPRS) as well as the encoder product suite.
• Orients and instructs new personnel and/or students from affiliated health information or medical record technology programs, at the direction of the supervisor, on unit operations, coding, abstracting, and use of an electronic health 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).
• Conducts re-reviews of codes abstracted for patient encounters (inpatient and outpatient) identified by the VERA committee to determine if the specific VERA coding requirements were followed; corrects coding as needed to ensure proper patient classification in the VERA program.
• Codes all Operating Room procedures reported in the Surgical Package of the VistA hospital system; applies ICD and CPT coding guidelines and selects proper codes using the current code set and the encoder product suite.
• Codes diagnoses from paper forms for VA registries such as Agent Orange, Ionizing Radiation, Persian Gulf, Prisoner of War, etc.

Qualifications

• English Language Proficiency: Proficient in written and spoken English as per VA Handbook 5005.
• Experience: One year of creditable experience indicating knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, medical coding, and health records.
• Education: An associate's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in health information technology/management or related degree with a minimum of 12 semester hours in health information technology/management.
• Completion of an AHIMA approved coding program or other intense coding training program of approximately one year or more.
• Certification: Apprentice/Associate Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC, Mastery Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC, or Clinical Documentation Improvement Certification through AHIMA or ACDIS.

Requirements

• GS-4: None needed beyond Basic Requirements.
• GS-5: One year of creditable experience equivalent to GS-4 or a bachelor's degree with a major in health information management.
• GS-6: One year of creditable experience equivalent to GS-5.
• GS-7: One year of creditable experience equivalent to GS-6.
• GS-8: One year of creditable experience equivalent to GS-7.

Benefits

• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm. Flexible hours available.
• Remote: Yes, remote exempted positions are reviewed annually.
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.
• Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.