Lead Medical Record Technician - Release of Information

Located in the Health Information Management (HIM) section at the Salt Lake City VA Medical Center. Lead MRTs (ROI) develop training & provide resources pertaining to VHA & other Federal policies, guidelines, & regulations. They conduct training for all new ROI staff regarding the software, the process of requesting archived health records, & the use of VHA computer applications. Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional 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). Processes medico-legal releases of information to attorneys and courts pertaining to Tort Feasor, Workman's Compensation, Labor & Industries & subpoenas. Screens & follows through on all incoming telephone calls from attorneys, insurance representatives, regarding legal cases & requests under the Privacy Act, referring only problem cases to the Supervisor. Maintains files for all Privacy Act requests & subpoena cases alphabetically for all cases being developed, processed or complete. Compiles tort cases for the Regional Office. This requires extensive investigations to track down x-rays & health records to compile a complete health record. Contacts all VA's to have them make a CD of all of the photocopied/printed/written to electronic media information, including digital x-rays. All paper records are arranged in date order, numbered & several exact copies made for the Regional Office. All computer-based health records are downloaded to a CD including documents in VistA Imaging. For cases going to trial, this may include additional updates and coordination with the US Attorney's Office. Processes requests for Third Party Liability, Workman's Compensation, & Privacy Act cases for referral to Medical Cost Recovery &/or the Regional Counsel's Office. Provides direct customer service to the Veteran, their Personal Representative or third party by providing copies of the Veteran's health information when a signed, written request is received or upon the Veteran's valid authorization to a third party. Evaluates validity of each request. Determines which information is to be released in compliance with existing laws. Inputs all requests into the ROI software for logging & tracking of these requests. Receives &/or gives out forms and assists visitors &/or callers with the completion of forms or documents. Responds to questions from patients concerning services. Provides advisory & technical assistance to patients, administrative staff, & professional staff regarding release of information. Searches records or files to compose responses, including electronic searches to retrieve & summarize hard-to-locate data. Provides guidance & technical direction necessary for accomplishing the work of the unit or team. Distributes & balances workload & tasks among employees. Communicates to the team the problem to be solved or program issues under review & coaches the team &/or individual team members in identifying the parameters of a viable solution. Monitors the status & progress of work & makes adjustments in accordance with established priorities. Obtains assistance from the supervisor as needed for major issues or problems that arise. Trains team members. Provides expert advice on specific tasks, procedures, & policies. Makes written instructions, reference materials, & relevant background material available. Resolves simple informal complaints of employees & refers more serious matters to the supervisor. Makes recommendations to supervisor as requested concerning promotions, reassignments, recognition of performance & personnel needs. Work Schedule: Monday • Friday, 8:00am • 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: May be available. Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized. Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Available on an ad-hoc basis. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 60012-0 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized. 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. English Language Proficiency. MRTs (ROI) must be proficient in spoken and written English, as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Experience and Education (1) 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. OR, (2) 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). OR, (3) 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: (a) 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. (b) 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 monthfor-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. Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements, the following criteria must be used when determining the appropriate grade and assignment of candidates. Lead Medical Records Technician (ROI), GS-7 Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-6). Assignments at the GS-6 level. Employees at this level apply, interpret, and analyze laws and regulations related to the disclosure of health information. MRTs (ROI) are responsible for educating requestors on requirements for submitting requests for health information. They receive and validate authorization forms and requests for information and prioritize requests according to policies and regulations. They use various computer applications to track and release all authorized release of information requests. MRTs (ROI) process and release health information to authorized first- and third- party requestors. They initiate and maintain the accounting of disclosure for all records disclosed from a Privacy Act system of records. They communicate with internal and external stakeholders to provide technical expertise regarding the release of information process. They ensure compliance with policies, procedures, laws, and regulations governing privacy and release of information. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Ability to work with a team to provide technical guidance, plan, organize, and coordinate activities of release of information to effectively complete job assignments (i.e., distributing workload, monitoring the status and progress of work, monitoring accuracy of work, and ensuring required timelines are met.) (b) Knowledge of the laws and regulations related to the authorization and disclosure of health information. (c) Ability to effectively communicate, both orally and in writing, to meet program objectives. (d) Ability to prepare reports in various formats and present data to various organizational levels. (e) Ability to provide or coordinate staff development and training. 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-7. Physical Requirements: The physical requirements to perform the essential functions of this job, considering physical, mental, and emotional capacities, without endangering their safety and health or co-workers' safety and health, are in the VA Directive 5019 and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service. You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.