Medical Records Technician (ROI)

About the role

The Long Beach VA Medical Center is currently recruiting for one Medical Records Technician (ROI) to work in HIMS Services Long Beach - CA. This position is located in the Health Information Management (HIM) section at the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center.

Responsibilities

• Applies public laws, rules, regulations and exclusions governing confidentiality of the medical record, including the Privacy Act, Freedom of Information Act and 38 U.S.C. 7332 governing the release of records containing information regarding the treatment of or referral for drug and/or alcohol abuse, Sickle Cell Anemia and infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
• 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), referring only problem cases to the Supervisor
• Evaluates validity of each request and determines which information is to be released in compliance with existing laws
• Ensures that proper authorization exists before release is made and processes the request to the requesting agency or individual
• Inputs all requests into the ROI computer package for logging and tracking of these requests and provides advisory and technical assistance to patients, administrative staff and professional staff regarding release of information
• Searches records or files to compose responses, including electronic searches to retrieve and summarize hard-to-locate data
• Locates materials that would verify information given and reviews paper and computerized health records to identify material to be photocopied/printed/written to electronic media and released
• Composes responses to routine requests for release of patient information and selects and compiles information from health records and prepares correspondence
• Ensures the information released is limited to what is specifically authorized and to the person or agency designated to receive it
• Composes detailed explanations in response to correspondence received, arranging information into logical sequence and appropriate format and choosing appropriate words and expressions to convey the desired tone
• Determines extent and tone of replies independently and resolves conflicting or inconsistent information found on initial requests
• Processes Social Security requests for health information using ROI software and downloads VistA Imaging documents and ROI software documents onto a secure Network Drive
• Accesses the secured Social Security Web page and uploads the documents to the Web portal and transfers the confirmation codes to the ROI software package and closes the requests in both the ROI and Social Security packages
• Completes and processes routine releases of information to other VA and Federal Agencies and when requested, to patients and their families, insurance representatives, physicians, hospitals, and city and state health agencies according to VA directives

Qualifications

United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy

• Experience: One year of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology and general understanding of health records
• 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
• Experience/Education Combination: Equivalent combinations of creditable experience and education are qualifying towards meeting basic experience requirements

Skills

• Ability to utilize health information technology and various office software products utilized in MRT (ROI) positions
• Knowledge of health record documentation guidelines and processes for disclosing protected health information
• Ability to manage priorities and coordinate work in order to complete duties within required timeframes, and the ability to follow-up on pending issues
• Knowledge of policies, procedures, laws, and regulations governing privacy and release of information
• Ability to communicate with individuals from various backgrounds to obtain the desired effect or gaining information by establishing rapport

Work Schedule

Monday - Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm, Telework: Not authorized, Ad-Hoc may be authorized at supervisor's discretion