TRAVEL REQUIRED:

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

RELOCATION AUTHORIZED:
Relocation expenses reimbursed No

KEY REQUIREMENTS:
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United States Citizenship Required; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

Designated and/or random drug testing required

Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959

Must be proficient in written and spoken English

You may be required to serve a probationary period

Subject to a background/security investigation

Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Must pass pre-employment physical examination

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/26/2019.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS
Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

Experience and Education:
(1) Experience. One year of experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology and general understanding of the health record. Six months of the required one year of experience must have provided the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) needed to perform MRT work.
OR
(2) Education. Two years above high school with a minimum of 12 semester hours directly related to MRT work (e.g., courses in medical terminology, anatomy & physiology, and introduction to health records).
OR
(3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying. The following educational/training substitutions are appropriate for combining education and experience:
(a) Six months of experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology and general understanding of 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 medical record techniques and procedures. Also requires six additional months of experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology and general understanding of the health record.

Physical Requirements: Please see "Physical Requirements" section in this announcement for additional information.

English Language Proficiency:Must be proficient in spoken and written English language.

GRADE DETERMINATIONS:
GS-07 MRT (Coder) - Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (Included as reference to next lower grade level fro the GS-08)
1. Skill in applying current coding classifications to a variety of specialty care areas to accurately reflect service and care provided based on documentation in the health record;
2. Ability to communicate with clinical staff for specific coding and documentation issues such as recording inpatient and/or outpatient diagnoses and procedures, the correct sequencing of diagnoses and/or procedures, and the relationship between health care documentation and code assignment;
3. Ability to research and solve coding and documentation related issues; and
4. Skill in reviewing and correcting system or processing errors and ensuring all assigned work is complete.

(c) Assignment. Employees at this grade level serve as developmental MRT coders and receive minimal monitoring. Coders may perform either inpatient or outpatient coding duties or may perform a combination of inpatient and outpatient coding.

GS-08 MRT (Coder) Full Performance Level
(a) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (please see the GS-07 above).
(b) In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
1. Ability to analyze the medical record to identify all pertinent diagnoses and procedures for coding, and to evaluate the adequacy of the documentation. This includes the ability to read and understand the content of the medical record, the terminology, the significance of the comments, and the disease process/pathophysiology of the patient;
2. Ability to accurately perform the full scope of outpatient coding, including ambulatory surgical cases, diagnostic studies and procedures, and outpatient encounters, and/or inpatient coding, including inpatient discharges, surgical cases, diagnostic studies and procedures, and inpatient professional fees; and
3. Skill in interpreting and adapting health information guidelines and ability to use judgment in completing assignments using incomplete or inadequate guidelines.

(c) Assignment. This is considered to be the full performance level for this assignment. Coders at this level perform either inpatient or outpatient coding duties, or a combination of inpatient and outpatient coding duties. Inpatient duties consist of the performance of a comprehensive review of documentation within the health record to assign ICD codes for diagnosis, complications, co-morbid conditions, surgery, and procedures. Outpatient duties consist of the performance of a comprehensive review of documentation within the health record to accurately assign ICD codes for diagnosis and complications, and CPT codes for surgeries, procedures and evaluation, and management services.

References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/79, PART II APPENDIX G35. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-08.

Physical Requirements: Position is mostly sedentary, in an office type setting. Some light lifting (under 15 lbs.), Light carrying (under 15 lbs.), use of fingers to keyboard, and ability to read electronic health records on computer screen.

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

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You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, résumé, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

NOTE: Applicant's education and experience will be reviewed by a Professional Standards Board and utilized in determining the grade and salary of the applicant selected. The recommended salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Read more Security clearance Other

Drug test required No