About this role
Role Description
This position is in the Health Information Management (HIM) section of the Business Office Service Line at the Washington DC VA Medical Center. The Supervisory Medical Records Technician 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.
The Supervisory Medical Records Technician - Coder is directly responsible to the Assistant Chief of Health Information Management, who gives general guidance. The incumbent exercises independent judgment in carrying out duties and responsibilities and has complete limited authority to plan, design and direct.
Responsible for the supervision, administrative management, and direction of coding staff. Responsible for program management of a coding section/unit to ensure performance monitors are established and met. Evaluate the performance of subordinate staff, approve sick and annual leave requests, identify educational or training needs, resolve employee complaints, and take disciplinary action(s), when necessary. Inform higher level management of anticipated vacancies or increases in workload. Recommend employees for promotions, reassignments, recognitions, retention or release of probationary employees, or other changes of assigned personnel. Make decisions on the selection of employees for vacant or new positions. Serve as an expert coding resource to ensure accuracy and integrity of all coding. Collaborate with revenue, compliance, and other departments to support coding accuracy that is consistent with the official guidelines for coding and reporting. Resolve claim edits referred to coding management and monitor reports for outstanding services, rejects, or uncoded episodes of care for inpatients and/or outpatients. Ensure claim denials related to coding errors are resolved, and/or daily coding rejects are corrected for accurate billing and data collection. Provide education to clinical and coding staff. Assess current audit findings and evaluate impact to coding and documentation practices. Oversee the reporting of coding and documentation audit results to leadership. Collect and prepare data for studies involving inpatient stays and outpatient encounters for clinical evaluation purposes, prepare and maintain a variety of complex records and daily, monthly, or "on demand" reports, as requested. Create and monitor outpatient reports, inpatient case mix reports, top DRGs, and key performance indicators to identify patterns, trends, and variations. Investigate and evaluate potential causes for changes or problems and collaborate with the appropriate staff to effect resolution or explain variances. Participate in the formulation of objectives and strategies utilizing coded data to support goals for patient care, teaching, research, and optimizing management of resources. Analyze and abstract patients' health records and assign alpha-numeric codes for each diagnosis and procedure. Expert in International Classification of Diseases (ICD), Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), and the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS).
Qualifications
United States Citizenship. English Language Proficiency. Proficient in spoken and written English. 1 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 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. 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. Equivalent combinations of creditable experience and education are qualifying for meeting the basic requirements. Certification: Candidates must have either (1), (2), or (3): Apprentice/Associate Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC, Mastery Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC, Clinical Documentation Improvement Certification through AHIMA or ACDIS.
Requirements
One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-9). Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Ability to perform a full range of supervisory duties, including recommending awards, approving leave, evaluating work, resolving staff issues, and assigning, planning, and coordinating work. Advanced knowledge of current coding classification systems such as ICD, CPT, and HCPCS. Ability to provide or coordinate staff development and training. Leadership and managerial skills, including skill in interpersonal relations and conflict resolution. Ability to collect and analyze data, identify trends, and present results in various formats.
Benefits
Competitive salary and regular salary increases. 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). Parental Leave: Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment. Child Care Subsidy: Eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children. Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA. Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care insurance options. Remote work eligibility within 50 miles of a VA Medical Center.