Job Description

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. See education section for specific educational requirements; OR, Completion of an AHIMA approved coding program, or other intense coding training program of approximately one year. See education section for additional information; 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 for combining education and creditable experience: 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: (1) Apprentice/Associate Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC. This is considered an entry level coding certification and is limited to certification obtained through the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), or the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC). To be acceptable for qualifications, the specific certification must represent a comprehensive competency in coding across a wide range of services. Stand-alone specialty certifications do not meet the definition of apprentice/associate level certification and are not acceptable for qualifications. Certification titles may change and certifications that meet the definition of apprentice/associate level certification may be added/removed by the above certifying bodies. However, current apprentice/associate level certifications include: Certified Coding Associate (CCA), Certified Professional Coder-Apprentice (CPC-A) and Certified Outpatient Coding Apprentice (COC-A). (2) Mastery Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC. This is considered a higher-level health information management or coding certification and is limited to certification obtained through AHIMA or AAPC. To be acceptable for qualifications, the specific certification must represent a comprehensive competency in the occupation. Stand-alone specialty certifications do not meet the definition of mastery level certification and are not acceptable for qualifications. Certification titles may change and certifications that meet the definition of mastery level certification may be added/removed by the above certifying bodies. However, current mastery level certifications include: Certified Coding Specialist (CCS), Certified Coding Specialist - Physician-based (CCS-P), Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT), Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), Certified Professional Coder (CPC), Certified Outpatient Coder (COC), Certified Inpatient Coder (CIC). (3) Clinical Documentation Improvement Certification through AHIMA or ACDIS. This is limited to certification obtained through AHIMA or the Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement 3 Specialists (ACDIS). To be acceptable for qualifications, the specific certification must certify mastery in clinical documentation. Certification titles may change, and certifications that meet the definition of clinical documentation improvement certification may be added/removed by the above certifying bodies. However, current Clinical Documentation Improvement Certifications include: Clinical Documentation Improvement Practitioner (CDIP) and Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist. 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 belo