Medical Records Administrator Specialist

Medical Records Administrator Specialist

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Bath, New York, Canandaigua, New York

Salary Range: $75202 - $97767 Per Year

Job Summary: This position is in the Health Information Management (HIM) Service at the VA Finger Lakes Healthcare system. Medical Records Administration Specialist (MRAS) in Veterans Health Administration perform work concerned with the management of a health record program or the provision of services related to medical record administration/health information services. MRAs manage, preserve, analyze, and supervise the use of diagnostic and therapeutic health records/health information management.

Major Duties:

• Assists the Chief, Health Information Management (CHIM) and the HIM Department in identifying and setting short and long-range goals, program objectives, and tasks to meet the mission and vision of the VAMC. Provides training for HIM, clinical and administrative staff on HIM topics. Designs and performs quality improvement projects regarding HIM issues. Assists the Chief of HIM in preparing and conducting various presentations. Keeps current on emerging issues and trends in the HIM field, including process improvement initiatives, the electronic health record (EHR), coding and computer-assisted coding, the revenue cycle, release of information and privacy issues, records management, medical speech recognition, transcription and data entry, and health information exchange. Keeps the clinical staff abreast of changing technology in electronic systems used to collect, process, code, protect and store health information. Participates in various VAMC, VISN and national committees requiring HIM subject matter expertise. Performs audits and analyses, preparing and presenting findings and recommendations to the CHIM, Service Line Leaders and medical staff. Assures the accuracy and timeliness of the capturing of patient services charges (workload) in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations. Reviews, analyzes and reports HIM performance monitors. Advises Principal Investigators and other clinical staff on methodologies related to retrieval of health care data for specific studies. Performs data retrieval for special studies as needed. Utilizes advanced knowledge of VHA data sources, such as VHA Support Service Center (VSSC), the Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW), and Power Business Intelligence (BI), to complete analyses of VA Medical Center data. Analyzes and evaluates on a quantitative basis, the effectiveness of the HIM program and operations in meeting established goals and objectives. Analyzes program performance data to identify areas needing improvement. As a member of the local Revenue Cycle/Charge Services Team, interacts with clinical/ancillary staff to ensure that charge order items, represented by HCPCS/CPT codes, accurately reflect services provided. Coordinates with Revenue Cycle staff on CPT/HCPCS coding and Charge Description Master (CDM) maintenance updates to coincide with the code set updates. Researches the status of encounters and charges requiring additional action and identifies missing charges (e.g., monitoring action required or encounters without charges). Facilitates resolution by coordinating awareness of issues to be resolved for encounters on hold and suspended charges requiring facility actions. Supports validation of clinical data and encounter accuracy. Provides clarification and assistance to clinical staff regarding appropriate workload capture. Facilitates correction of clinical documentation issues that result in encounter charge errors. Identifies and facilitates correction of registration data errors to ensure encounter accuracy (encounter type, encounter dates, clinical service, insurance, eligibility, etc.). May review and test HIM related software patches; test and troubleshooting EHR menu options and functional issues when HIM users report application errors; perform equipment needs analysis for new or replacement equipment and/or equipment repair; submit work orders or Remedy tickets for correction to HIM software errors. Serves as point of contact for health record corrections to ensure documentation accurately reflects care delivered and reported. Collaborates on improperly identified documents with clinicians, Clinical Applications Coordinators (CACs) and others who report problems. Provides education when dealing directly with physicians, nurses and other clinical providers requesting completion or adjustment of pertinent parts of the health records, which are found to be inconsistent or incomplete upon analysis. Assists and provides guidance to supporting clinical services to capture required medical information on patients for computer database input. Selects, compiles and trends medical, surgical, and statistical data from numerous components of the health record. Retrieves diagnostic and statistical data for various reports required locally or by VISN or VHA Central Office. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm Telework: Ad hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Qualifications: 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). Education or Experience: (1) Experience. Three years of creditable 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, (2) 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, (3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of creditable 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. Persons hired or reassigned to MRA positions in the GS-0669 series in VHA must meet one of the following: (1) Coding Certification through AHIMA or AAPC. OR, (2) HIM Certification through AHIMA. OR, (3) Health Data Analyst Certification through AHIMA. GRADE REQUIREMENTS. Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the 5 following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Medical Records Administration Specialist, GS-11 Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level that demonstrates all of the KSAs described at that level. OR, Education. Education equivalent to three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or a Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited university or college in the field of health information management. AND Demonstrated Knowledges, Skills, and Abilities (a) Skill in [performance] and process improvement [techniques to develop and implement new or improved solutions in health information management. (b) Ability to advise management and staff, at various levels, regarding health record documentation requirements and health information management practices based on current industry standards, policies, statues, laws, and regulations. (c) Ability to plan, justify, develop, evaluate, assess, monitor, and advise on current health information management processes and recommend changes in policies or procedures. (d) Ability to determine and evaluate compliance with legal, ethical, and regulatory guidelines and accrediting bodies, as they apply to health information management. (e) Ability to acquire, manage, analyze, interpret, and transform data into 8 accurate, consistent, and meaningful information. Preferred Experience: Mid-level experience in Health Information Management and Associates in HIM is preferred. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items.

How to Apply: All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 03/13/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12905565. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

Application Deadline: 2026-03-13