Qualifications

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 Education: 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 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: Six months of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical 4 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
• 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: Apprentice/Associate Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC
• Mastery Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC
• Clinical Documentation Improvement Certification through AHIMA or ACDIS NOTE: Mastery level certification is required for all positions above the journey level
• however, for clinical documentation improvement specialist assignments, a clinical documentation improvement certification may be substituted for a mastery level certification 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)
• GS-9 Grade Determinations: Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the journey grade level of a MRT (Coder-Outpatient and Inpatient);OR An associate's degree or higher, and three years of experience in clinical documentation improvement (candidates must also have successfully completed coursework in medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, medical coding, and introduction to health records);OR Mastery level certification through AHIMA or AAPC and two years of experience in clinical documentation improvement OR
• Clinical experience such as RN, M.D., or DO, and one year of experience in clinical documentation improvement
• Certification: Employees at this level must have either a mastery level certification or a clinical documentation improvement certification
• Mastery Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC
• Clinical Documentation Improvement Certification through AHIMA or ACDIS
• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to meeting the basic qualifications and experience above, you must demonstrate all of the following KSA's: Knowledge of coding and documentation concepts, guidelines, and clinical 25 terminology
• Knowledge of anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology to interpret and analyze all information in a patient's health record, including laboratory and other test results to identify opportunities for more precise and/or complete documentation in the health record
• Ability to collect and analyze data and present results in various formats, which may include presenting reports to various organizational levels
• Ability to establish and maintain strong verbal and written communication with providers
• Knowledge of regulations that define healthcare documentation requirements, including The Joint Commission, CMS, and VA guidelines
• Extensive knowledge of coding rules and regulations, to include current clinical classification systems such as ICDCM and PCS, CPT, and HCPCS
• They must also possess knowledge of complication or comorbidity/major complication or comorbidity (CC/MCC), MS-DRG structure, and POA indicators
• Knowledge of severity of illness, risk of mortality, complexity of care for inpatients, and CPT Evaluation and Management (E/M) criteria to ensure the correct selection of E/M codes that match patient type, setting of service, and level of E/M service provided for outpatients
• Knowledge of training methods and teaching skills sufficient to conduct continuing education for staff development
• The training sessions may be technical in nature or may focus on teaching techniques for the improvement of clinical documentation issues Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-9. Physical Requirements: The majority of work will be sedentary, but standing, bending may be necessary.