MEDICAL RECORDS TECH (ROI)

This position is located in the Health Information Management (HIM) section at the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center. Release of Information (ROI) technicians disclose health information in accordance with all laws and regulations governing authorization and disclosure of health information.

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.

Journey Level. The full performance level for the MRT (ROI) assignment is GS-6.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Be a 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.
• English Language Proficiency. MRTs (ROI) must be proficient in spoken and written English.
• Meet physical requirements.
• Experience and Education:
  • Experience. One year of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology and general understanding of health records. Six months of the required one year of creditable experience must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) needed to perform MRT (ROI) work.
  • 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, legal aspects of health care, and introduction to health records).
  • Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of creditable experience and education are qualifying towards meeting basic experience requirements. The following experience and educational/training substitutions are appropriate for combining education and creditable experience:
    • Six months of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, privacy and release of information, the health record, and one year above high school with a minimum of six semester hours of health information technology/health information management courses.
    • Six months of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, privacy and release of information, the health record, and 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. The training program may be substituted on a month-for-month basis for up to six months of experience provided the training program included courses in anatomy and physiology, and health record techniques and procedures.

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).

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements, the below qualification requirements must be met at the grade(s) in which you are applying. See the application questionnaire for full details of grade qualifications and assignments https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12969123.

GS-04 Entry Level

Experience or Education: none beyond the basic education or experience

GS-05 Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level;
OR,
Education. Successful completion of a bachelor'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 management, or a related degree with a minimum of 24 semester hours in health information technology/health information management (e.g., courses in medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, legal aspects of health care, and introduction to health records)
AND,
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Ability to utilize health information technology and various office software products utilized in MRT (ROI) positions (e.g., the electronic health record, release of information systems, etc.).
• Knowledge of health record documentation guidelines and processes for disclosing protected health information.
• Ability to manage priorities and coordinate work in order to complete duties within required timeframes, and the ability to follow-up on pending issues.
• Knowledge of policies, procedures, laws, and regulations governing privacy and release of information.
• Ability to communicate with individuals from various backgrounds to obtain the desired effect or gaining information by establishing rapport.

GS-06 Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
And,
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of the laws and regulations related to the authorization and disclosure of health information (e.g., Privacy Act, Freedom of Information Act, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and 38 U.S.C. § 7332, Confidentiality of Certain Medical Records).
• Ability to apply health record documentation guidelines and processes to navigate efficiently through the paper and/or electronic health record to locate, assemble, and disclose protected health information.
• Ability to apply policies, procedures, laws, and regulations governing privacy and release of information to process requests for release of information.
• Ability to research and solve difficult questions related to release of health information in an accurate and timely manner.

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-06. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-04 to GS-06.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. There is walking, bending and reaching required such as for filing or locating material, and carrying items such as reports, documents, and supplies. Entering data and word processing on a personal computer may result in physical problems from the effects of repetitive motion and eyestrain.

Responsibilities:

The duties in this position are primarily advisory and technical in nature. The incumbent is responsible for evaluating the adequacy of each completed authorization form. Screens each request for information to determine urgency and assures that most urgent requests are completed first using established priority systems. Major duties include but not limited to:

• Responsible for evaluating the adequacy of each completed authorization form.
• Screens each request for information to determine urgency and assures that most urgent requests are completed first using established priority systems.
• Personally greets veterans /visitor, assists them in determining the exact nature of the request and whether the information requested can be released.
• Processes all incoming requests to the facility for Release of Information (ROI) along with information required by the VA Regional Office through the Automated Medical Information Exchange (AMIE).
• Receives and/or gives out forms and assists visitors and/or callers with the completion of forms or documents.
• Provides advisory and technical assistance to patients, administrative staff, and professional staff regarding release of information.
• Searches records or files to compose responses, including electronic searches to retrieve and summarize hard-to-locate data.
• Selects and compiles information from health records and prepares correspondence, typically using standard form or standard formats for letters.
• Composes detailed explanations in response to correspondence received, arranging information into logical sequence and appropriate format, and choosing appropriate words and expressions to convey the desired tone.
• Processes Social Security requests for health information using ROI software.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 7:45am-4:30pm
Telework: Not Available
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Salary : $36,409