VISN 20 Northwest Network

Role Description This position is in the Health Information Management (HIM) section at the VISN 20, Alaska, Boise, Oregon, and Washington VA Medical Center. MRTs (Coder) are 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. This is the journey level for this assignment. MRTs (Coder) at this level perform the full scope of inpatient and outpatient coding duties. MRTs (Coder) select and assign codes from current versions of ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, CPT, and HCPCS classification systems to both inpatient and outpatient records. Inpatient duties consist of the performance of a comprehensive review of documentation within the health record to assign ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS codes for diagnosis, complications/major complications, comorbid/major comorbid conditions, surgery, and procedures for accurate assignment of DRGs. DUTIES: - Assigns codes to documented patient care encounters (inpatient and outpatient) covering the full range of health care services provided by the VAMC. - Applies advanced knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy & physiology, disease processes, treatment modalities, diagnostic tests, medications, procedures, and health services principles for proper code selection. - Selects and assigns codes from the current version of several coding systems including ICD, CPT, and/or HCPCS. - Adheres to accepted coding practices, guidelines, and conventions for accurate and complete coding. - Monitors regulatory and policy requirements affecting coded information for the full spectrum of services provided by the VAMC. - Performs a comprehensive review of the patient health record to abstract medical, surgical, ancillary, demographic, social, and administrative data. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 0730-1600 Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Qualifications - Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. - Experience: One year of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, medical coding. - 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. - Certification: Must have either Apprentice/Associate Level Certification or Mastery Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC. - English Language Proficiency: Proficient in spoken and written English. Requirements - Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service. - Grade Determinations: Various levels from GS-4 to GS-8 with specific experience and knowledge requirements for each grade. Benefits - Competitive salary and regular salary increases. - 37-50 days of annual paid time off 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 after 60 days of employment. - Retirement: Traditional federal pension and federal 401K with contributions by VA. - Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care insurance options. - Telework: Not applicable, this is a remote position.