Medical Records Technician

Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Prisons

Federal Medical Center

Fort Worth, Texas

Medical Records Technician (Health Information Technician

Closing Date:  December 30, 2024

Duties:

Analyzes medical records for completeness, consistency and compliance with Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and medical staff requirements.

Performs the monthly medical record audit in coordination with the medical staff.

Processes requests for medical information from outside hospitals, clinics, and physicians.

Responds to requests from outside sources requesting release of BOP medical information, including court orders, requests by U.S. Attorneys and other institutions.

Codes, using ICD-9-CM, complicated diagnoses and procedures for discharged inmates, ensuring diagnoses and procedures are supported in the medical record and appropriately reported via Sentry.

Establishes medical records for all new admissions to facility; acquires, monitors and accounts for the medical records which accompany those patients transferred in from other BOP institutions.

Performs a full range of administrative duties, including preparing reports, purchase orders, receiving reports, pay vouchers, quarterly and annual reports, medical referrals for treatment to other BOP facilities and pre-certification requests.

Along with all other correctional institution employees, incumbent is charged with responsibility for maintaining security of the institution. The staff correctional responsibilities precede all others required by this position and are performed on a regular and recurring basis.

Qualifications:

Education:

As a general rule, education is not creditable above GL-5 for most positions covered by this standard; however, graduate education may be credited in those few instances where the graduate education is directly related to the work of the position.

OR

Experience:

You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level in federal service. Applicants at this level should be versed in medical terminology, medical records, and documentation requests and have the ability to examine medical records for completeness, consistency and compliance with Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare (JCAHO).

Some examples of this qualifying experience are:

• Experience in discerning discrepancies or deficiencies, and prepare written notifications for corrective action concerning inmates files/patient records.
• Experience in coding records using ICD-9-CM. Knowledgeable concerning the release of information under various methods to include the FOIA and Privacy Act.
• Experience in developing various statistical reports to assist health service operations and be capable of retrieving information, conducting research and analyzing records for completeness and compliance with standards.
• Experience in coordinating documentation and record information with hospitals, other treatment facilities, or other outside organizations and tracks progress of requested materials.

If applicable, credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as the number of hours worked per week) spent in activities.

Additional Information:

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3307, a maximum entry age of 36 has been established for initial appointment to a position in a Bureau of Prisons institution. If you are above the maximum entry age and have prior federal law enforcement coverage, you MUST submit an SF-50 to verify prior coverage. 

Qualified Preference Eligible Veterans may be exempt from meeting the maximum age. Please refer to the Required Documents Section for the appropriate documentation to submit to validate veteran eligibility.

Special Conditions of Employment Section:

Appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a pre-employment and panel interview, urinalysis, physical, and background investigation.

All applicants are subject to, and must satisfactorily pass all screening requirements in relation to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and credit check.

All applicants not currently working in an institution will be required to complete a qualification inquiry regarding convictions of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence in order to be authorized to carry a firearm.

The Core Value Assessment (CVA) is an in-person assessment that must be facilitated at a Bureau of Prisons Human Resource Servicing office. On the day of the scheduled interview, a CVA will be administered. The applicant assessment must be completed within a 70 minute time period and a passing score of 68 must be obtained. Further employment consideration will not be extended if the applicant fails to complete the examination or fails to achieve a passing score. Note: The Core Value Assessment will not be administered to current BOP employees.

Successful completion of the "Introduction to Correctional Techniques", three-week training course at Glynco, Georgia is required. 

Additional selections may be made if vacancies occur within the life of the certificate.

As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.