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: Citizenship. Candidates must be a citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified candidates in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7407(a). English Language Proficiency. MRAs must be proficient in spoken and written English. See 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). Education or Experience: Experience: Three years of experience in the field of medical records that included the preparation, maintenance, and management of health records and health information systems demonstrating a knowledge of medical terminology, medical records procedures, medical coding, or medical, administrative, and legal requirements of health care delivery systems OR, Education: Successful completion of a bachelor's degree or higher 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 management or health information technology. OR, Experience/Education Combination: Equivalent combinations of experience and education that equals 100 percent may be used to meet basic requirements. For example, two years above high school from an accredited college or university, with 12 semester hours in health information technology/health information management, plus one year and six months of creditable experience that included the preparation, maintenance, and management of health records and health information systems meets an equivalent combination. Certification: All applicants hired or reassigned to Medical Records Administrator positions in the GS-0669 series above the full performance level in VHA must have a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) or Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) certification obtained through the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). (1) Loss of Certification. Following initial certification, credentials must be maintained through rigorous continuing education, ensuring the highest level of competency for employers and patients. An employee in this occupation who fails to maintain the required certification must be removed from the occupation which may result in termination of employment. At the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may be reassigned to another occupation for which he/she qualifies, if a placement opportunity exists. (2) Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series that are also performing the duties as described in the qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (a) Employees in an occupation requiring a licensure/certification/registration, may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance level, or demoted within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the full performance level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. (b) Employees in an occupation requiring a licensure/certification/registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher-grade levels. (c) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. Grade Requirement: GS-13 Experience: Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Medical Records Administrator field. Qualifying GS-12 grade level experience includes, but is not limited to: establishes policies, procedures, responsibilities, and requirements for HIM-related matters, such as health record documentation, coding and clinical documentation improvement, release of information, file room/scanning, records management, transcription and medical speech recognition, as well as the overall management of health information and Veterans health records; provides technical advice, planning, and evaluation about health information management issues impacting the overall program; monitors HIM performance through dashboards, productivity standards, and benchmarking; participates in establishing and implementing strategic facility and HIM Department goals and con