HIM Specialist - Full Time Job Listing at Barton Health in South Lake Tahoe, CA (Job ID 80db0bc2-c2c0-4647-9d05-5ff8b829f3ce)

Description

Summary of Position:

The Health Information Management (HIM) Specialist works with medical records and maintains the security of electronic medical records systems. This position performs a wide variety of functions including chart analysis, scanning/indexing, release of information (ROI), medical record reviews/audits, and troubleshooting issues related to HIM workflows. Functions are executed in accordance with the Joint Commission and Barton Health Bylaws, and other various regulatory agencies. The HIM Specialist works closely with all providers and clinical staff, the Revenue Cycle team, Risk and Compliance, and other various departments, ambulatory clinics, and vendors.

Qualifications

Education:

• High school diploma or GED preferred.

Experience:

• Minimum of 1-year general office experience, with health care setting helpful.
• Sufficient computer skills to complete the online application and the online learning requirements and use of the electronic health record (EHR).

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Must be detail oriented and able to multi-task. Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and managing paper files and records, use of office equipment, including PC, phones, copier, fax.  Document imaging (scanning) skills helpful. 
• Excellent communication skills to interact with patients and various other departments and vendors in a prompt and professional manner. Ability to maintain a calm demeanor in stressful situations and to work as a team and maintain effectiveness and productively in a busy office.   
• Knowledge of or willing to obtain knowledge of HIPAA and State regulations for privacy and confidentiality of medical records.

Certifications/Licensure:

• None required.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to walk, stand, sit, and talk or hear.
• The employee is occasionally required to use hands to finger, handle, feel or operate objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms.
• The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Working Conditions

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Normal office environment. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate while in the office.
• Occasional travel to various health system locations or medical record storage facilities.

Essential Functions

1. Provide consistently exceptional care at all times.
2. Safeguards and protects the patient's right to privacy by ensuring all use and disclosures of patient medical records are valid and all access of patient medical records are mandated by assigned job duties, and in compliance with authorizations, policies and procedures, and HIPAA and State regulations.
3. Retrieves, verifies, and checks in all inpatient/outpatient medical records and other miscellaneous patient chart documents for prior days discharged patients from all locations within the hospital setting. Ensures follow up with the various departments to locate any missing records. 
4. Responsible for validation of authorization, invoicing and timely completion of requests for access to or copies of patient medical records and billing claims/statements
5. Analyzes all inpatient and outpatient records in the EHR to ensure records contain required documents pertinent for coding review and reports contain all elements as defined by JCAHO, CMS, and Barton Medical staff bylaws and completes process deficiency to route the electronic records to the coding work queues.
6. Assigns physician deficiencies for any missing, incomplete or unsigned chart documents required to meet compliance as mandated by the Joint Commission and Barton Medical Staff Bylaws, and federal and state regulations to ensure a complete and accurate patient medical record. Reassign or resend all rejected/declined deficiencies by the providers, to ensure timely completion of the medical record.  This includes notifications to manager and providers, and other staff as needed to ensure records are completed.
7. Prepares, scans, and indexes all paper medical record chart documents to the appropriate document type, with appropriate document description as required by the naming conventions, to the patient's electronic health record. Scanning of all requests for records, authorizations and documents associated with use and disclosure.  Responsible for rescanning documents after signed or for legibility to ensure a complete and accurate, legible record. 
8. Monitors, maintains and clears EHR chart analysis and deficiency work queues (WQ) on a daily basis. Maintains the EHR work queues for release of information to ensure all requests are logged, and fulfilled/completed.  Tracks and facilitates the chart closing process to meet compliance of records closed within 30 days from discharge. 
9. Verifies, validates and responds to all requests for medical and billing records, including subpoenas, court orders, search warrants, etc. and ensures they are addressed to Barton entities, and are valid and complete. Verifies all authorizations are valid and complete.  Interacts with requestors for missing or incomplete information associated with a request.  Logs all requests in the EHR release of information template.  Responsible for completing, authenticating, and routing declaration of custodian of records when required.
10. Creates invoices for all completed requests per the fee schedule policy, receives and posts payments in the EHR release template and prepares and submits deposits to Finance.
11. Required to be available for deposition subpoenas and verify dates of appearance when required. When requested, provide delivery of records directly to the Court Clerk to meet timely completion.
12. Provides the imaging breakdown when requested, prior to order of imaging disks and completion and billing for the requests.
13. Responsible for providing patients with the appropriate forms for requests to amend, requests for restriction, accounting of disclosures, and other associated patient's rights requests pertaining to use and disclosure of patient medical records.
14. Works closely with Transcription to ensure timely filing of transcribed reports
15. Provide training or cross train colleagues in other domains to meet department needs & staffing requirements.
16. Process Revenue Cycle payments inclusive of: Batching, depositing, and scanning hospital checks and credit cards. Logging payment batches to the hospital payment spreadsheets. Receiving, logging, and compiling deposits from couriers for Loomis pickup. Processing returned mail. Mailing 10-day final notices.
17. Meets compliance regulation timeframes and departmental productivity standards for analysis of records, chart completion/closing, and release of records/use and disclosure.
18. Performs mail room tasks such as opening and sorting mail and depositing and scanning hospital payments.
19. Responds to the needs of the department by performing other duties, as assigned.