Accredited Record Technician – 1458 – Page 2

County of Alameda 1458

ACCREDITED RECORD TECHNICIAN

DEFINITION

Under direction, to perform difficult and highly specialized technical medical record tasks; to supervise and direct clerical staff and do related duties as required.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES

These positions are located within the county hospitals of the Health Care Services Agency. Incumbents in the class of Accredited Record Technician exercise considerable judgment in coordinating and evaluating medical records studies; relieves an executive position of technical detail; assists in overseeing that the hospital is in compliance with mandated laws and standards; and may direct and supervise the work of a clerical unit(s).

This class is distinguished from the next lower-level class of Medical Record Technician in that Accredited Record Technicians have day-to-day management and supervisory responsibilities.

Accredited Record Technicians receive supervision from a Medical Record Administrator or Quality Assurance Officer.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

NOTE: The following are the duties performed by employees in this classification. However, employees may perform other related duties at an equivalent level. Each individual in the classification does not necessarily perform all duties listed.

1. Prepares and processes difficult and complex materials involving the analysis of numerous sources and a thorough familiarity with medical record policies, procedures, terminology and various applicable laws in order to obtain the necessary data; prepares or supervises the preparation of a variety of narrative, statistical and graphic reports from which complex reports are prepared.

2. Assigns, trains, supervises and reviews the accuracy of work of a clerical personnel unit(s); ensures that a unit is in compliance with mandated laws and standards; assists in maintaining staffing and financial controls; answers difficult questions that involve searching for and abstracting technical medical data and detailed explanation of laws, policies or procedures, and refers only matters requiring policy decisions to immediate supervisor.

3. Retrieves medical information from statistical indexing systems; assists physicians in compiling data for research projects; assists professional medical personnel in the procedure and practice of completing medical information such as coding and surgical reporting.

EXAMPLE OF DUTIES - Continued

4. Processes routine subpoenas for medical records; takes hospital records to court, attests to their authenticity and accuracy, and assumes responsibility for the return of records and proper recording of transactions.

5. Specific duties may include (but are not limited to) supervision of and performance ability in the following areas:

a) Quantitative and qualitative analysis of medical records.

b) Maintenance of medical record filing systems and related indexes.

c) Transcription of case histories, operative reports and medical summaries.

d) Coding of diseases and operations according to preferred classification (example: ICD-9CM or ICD-10CM).

e) Abstracting medical record data for computerized data (example: PAS).

f) Performs medical record audits.

6. Prepares correspondence requiring the application of highly specialized medical and medicolegal knowledge and discrimination in the selection of data or interpretation of laws, rules, or policies and the resolution of debatable points where a mistake in judgment may entail serious consequences.

7. May be required to fill in for Assistant Medical Record Administrator in his/her absence.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Certification:

Certification by American Medical Record Association as an Accredited Record Technician.

Or

Eligibility to take accreditation examination for Accredited Record Technician given by the American Medical Record Association. (Eligibility for accreditation is by successful completion of AMRA correspondence course for A.R.T's or graduation from AMRA approved school for A.R.T's.) Must successfully pass exam within one year of county appointment.

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES

NOTE: The level and scope of the following knowledge and abilities are related to duties listed under the "Examples of Duties" section of this specification.

Knowledge of:

·  Medical records terminology; in-depth comprehension of human anatomy and physiology.

·  Mandated laws and standards related to medical records; State and Federal laws governing subpoenaed medical information.

·  Standard nomenclature and classification system used in medical record libraries for coding and classifying diseases and medical procedures.

·  Statistical methods and procedures used in a hospital and medical records department; statistical analysis techniques.

·  Principles of supervision, including training.

·  Medical record department functions and procedures.

Abilities:

·  Written communication.

·  Oral communication.

·  Decision making.

·  Analyzing and problem solving.

·  Planning and organization.

·  Management control.

·  Leadership.

·  Interpersonal sensitivity.

·  Flexibility.

Old document: TRH:acm

7/l/86

Revised: 4/8/76

TT:dg

Revised: 7/80

JG-S

Revised: l/21/86

TMZ:pb

Revised: 9/16/91

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New document: Jobspecs/1458

ys/12/00