Medical Records Technician (Third Party Liability Coordinator)

Indian Health Service • Gallup, NM

17d • Onsite

About The Position

This position is located in the Business Office Branch at Gallup Indian Medical Center within the Navajo Area Indian Health Service. It coordinates third-party reporting, correspondence, records retention, and archiving in a hybrid paper and electronic environment. The role screens and processes potential tort-liability cases, supports requests related to coding and billing, retrieves and combines inactive records, and maintains fetal monitor strips. A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 37.5 (2021).

Requirements

• At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower Federal grade level, obtained in the public or private sector.
• Specialized experience must include using public laws, hospital regulations, and directives covering operational and procedural requirements; applying judgment and interpreting guides or manuals for specific cases; and coordinating the accuracy, timeliness, and reliability of medical records for patient care, treatment, statistical retrieval, and reimbursement from insurers and other third parties.
• Competitive-service merit-promotion candidates must have completed one year at the next lower grade level; this time-in-grade requirement does not apply under the Excepted Service Examining Plan.
• Meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the announcement closing date.
• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Successfully pass E-Verify and a federal background investigation; complete required background-investigation forms within five calendar days of issuance.
• Meet the position's financial suitability requirements.
• Present two valid forms of identification before appointment; a state-issued ID or driver's license must be REAL ID-compliant.
• Comply with the IHS Employee Immunization Policy for vaccine-preventable diseases if duties require working permanently, temporarily, or occasionally in an IHS healthcare facility; exemption requests may be available under the policy and facility guidance.
• Set up direct deposit for payment.
• The position requires contact or control over Indian children and is subject to Public Law 101-630 screening concerning certain crimes.
• A probationary period may apply; ESEP appointees typically serve a two-year trial period.

Responsibilities

• Manage and coordinate third-party activities by screening cases for possible tort liability and reporting qualifying cases to the Office of Regional Counsel as soon as the patient receives medical care and treatment.
• Review, analyze, and process potential cases, including Resource Patient Management System (RPMS) reports and correspondence from Contract Health, Health Information Management (Medical Records), Patient Registration/Admissions, and the Business Office.
• Verify and abstract medical-record documentation for completeness and accuracy.
• Thoroughly review billing records requested by attorneys, legal entities, and insurance carriers.
• Respond to and assist requestors with questions about coding, billing, and itemized statements, using pre-formatted and template letters as appropriate.
• Enter potential third-party cases into the software system.
• Research locations and accession numbers for inactive records retired to the Federal Records Center (FRC), and request records through the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) electronic retrieval system when needed for patient treatment.
• Assemble and combine returned inactive records with the original record; ensure patient identification on each page, year activity stamps or stickers, sequential chart order, an updated master control log, and clear identification of the combined and complete chart.
• Coordinate maintenance and archiving of fetal monitor strips; retrieve and review them for patient identification and date of visit, file them by year in terminal-digit numerical order, and retrieve them for provider chart reviews or audits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed