Medical Records Administrator Specialist

The Medical Records Administrator Specialist (MRAS) position is located in the Health Administration Service at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. The incumbent in this position is responsible for providing professional consultation, administrative assistance and health records. The MRAS manages, preserves, analyzes, and oversees the use of diagnostic and therapeutic medical records/health information, and provides expert advice on health information management across the medical center.

Work Schedule: 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday-Friday
Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized
Remote: This position is being filled as remote (i.e., the employee will not work at a VA Facility or VA-Leased space).
Telework: Once returned to the office Telework may be approved as ADHOC, depending on Supervisor approval.
Virtual: This is a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: GS-5: 10445-F, GS-7: 10446-F, GS-9: 10447-F and GS:11: 10448-F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

Major Duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Maintains current knowledge of regulatory and policy requirements affecting coded information.
• Works within a team environment; supports peers in meeting goals and deadlines; flexible and handles multiple tasks, works under pressure; and copes with frequently changing projects and deadlines.
• Analyzes situations or processes and recommends improvements.
• Participates in quality assurance studies of hard-copy and/or electronic health record (EHR) processing.
• Provides education and training to HIM, clinical and administrative staff.
• Serves as an EHR liaison for automated clinical applications, particularly those involving the clinical record and tools supporting clinicians and other health care providers.
• Conducts research and coordinates projects and studies of records systems, including defining study scope, formulating plans of action, designing tools, tabulating results, summarizing findings, making recommendations, and preparing management reports.

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.
• 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.

NOTE. HIMs Certification is required for all positions above the full performance level.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations

Medical Records Administration Specialist, GS-5
Experience or Education: None beyond basic requirements.

Medical Records Administration Specialist, GS-7
Experience: In addition to the basic requirements, [one] year of [creditable] experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.

OR,

Education (Advanced Entry-Level Placement): Applicants who meet the GS-5 grade level may be appointed at the GS-7 grade level, if they possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a major field of study in health information management, with an exemplary academic record as demonstrated by:

i. A 3.0 or higher-grade point average (GPA) out of a possible 4.0 GPA ("B" or better), as recorded on their official transcript or as computed based on four years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final two years of the curriculum; or

ii. A 3.5 GPA or higher out of a possible 4.0 GPA ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field of study, or the required courses completed in the major field of study during the final two years of the curriculum.

AND

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
i. Knowledge of current classification systems, such as International Classification of Diseases, Current Procedural Terminology, and [the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS).
ii. Ability to effectively communicate (written and verbal) with medical center staff, patients, and external entities.
iii. Ability to use data collection and analytical techniques for purposes of review, quality control, studies and analysis of health information.
iv. Ability to utilize computer applications with varied functions to produce a wide range of reports, to abstract records, collect and analyze data and present results in various formats.
v. Ability to work independently, adapt to shifting priorities, and meet deadlines.

Medical Records Administration Specialist, GS-9
Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics described at that level.

OR,

Education: Education equivalent to two full years of progressively higher level graduate education or a master's [degree] or equivalent graduate degree from an accredited college or university in a field directly related to health information management.

AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
i. Knowledge of medical and legal requirements related to health information management and health records.
ii. Ability to provide technical advice and guidance on health information management practices.
iii. Skill in extracting data from various sources and analyzing health information to create reports.
iv. Skill in researching, interpreting, and applying health information management guidelines.
v. Knowledge of performance and process improvement techniques to develop new or improved solutions in health information management.

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
i. Skill in performance and process improvement techniques to develop and implement new or improved solutions in health information management.
ii. 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.
iii. Ability to plan, justify, develop, evaluate, assess, monitor, and advise on current health information management processes and recommend changes in policies or procedures.
iv. Ability to determine and evaluate compliance with legal, ethical, and regulatory guidelines and accrediting bodies, as they apply to health information management.
v. Ability to acquire, manage, analyze, interpret, and transform data into 8 accurate, consistent, and meaningful information.

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-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-5 to GS-11.

Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items such as papers, books, small parts; or driving an automobile, etc. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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/.

• 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).

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.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window: Learn more about federal benefits.