Head Medical Records Technician

The State of Connecticut, Department of Public Health (DPH), Connecticut Tumor Registry (CTR),  seeks skilled, resourceful candidates to apply for the position of Head Medical Records Technician. The CTR is certified as a First Place data quality profile SEER registry, and a Gold Standard NAACCR registry. This is a full time, forty hour per week position, and offers the potential to telework up to 80% of each pay period. A flexible schedule is also available.

The successful candidate in this position will work primarily with other quality improvement and coding staff to perform a full range of tasks related to SEER central cancer registry operations. In addition, they will participate in various local and SEER-wide quality improvement activities, including audits, identification of patterns of data quality discrepancies, improving efficiency, and evaluation of work processes. The successful candidate is anticipated to serve as a technical expert and mentor for other cancer registrars, both within the CTR and in Connecticut hospitals.

The Mission of the Department of Public Health (DPH) is to protect and improve the health and safety of the people of Connecticut by assuring the conditions in which people can be healthy, preventing disease, injury, and disability, and promoting the equal enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, which is a human right and a priority of the state.

DPH accomplishes this through the implementation of its Strategic Plan which outlines the actions that DPH is taking to accomplish its Mission.

Are you interested in joining our team as a Head Medical Records Technician? We encourage you to apply today!

Please Note – This opportunity was previously posted as R# 220302-5624CL-001 and applicants will need to apply to this new posting in order to be considered.

The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified. This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules. In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening. You must specify your qualifications on your application.  

Due to the volume of applications anticipated, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be provided through your JobAps portal account. 

Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience most closely meet the preferred requirements of the position. At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include:  a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency. Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications as indicated to apply for this position.

In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.  

Please Note: You will be unable to make revisions once you submit your application for this posting to the JobAps system.

This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam. 

Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process. 

The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class. 

All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception.  Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.

This position may be subject to Federal requirements for COVID 19 Vaccination Immunization. 

Should you have questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Chelsea Moore at Chelsea.Moore@ct.gov

In the Tumor Registry Section of the Department of Public Health, this class is accountable for acting as a working supervisor for Medical Record Technicians in classifying and coding medical data.

Coordinates office workflow; determines priorities; assigns and reviews work; establishes and maintains office procedures; provides staff training and assistance; conducts or assists in conducting performance evaluations; maintains or oversees the maintenance of office records and logs; acts as a liaison with other operating units, agencies and outside officials regarding unit policies and procedures; prepares and conducts periodic coding conferences for medical records technicians; interfaces with pathologists and physicians to resolve ambiguities or difficulties in interpreting coding rules; assists in revision of forms and procedures and medical coding instructions; may prepare statistical compilations; performs related duties as required.

Considerable knowledge of medical terminology and gross human anatomy relating to cancer; considerable knowledge of standard cancer diagnostic techniques and modes of therapy such as radiation, chemotherapy, etc.; considerable knowledge of coding principles and techniques used in the Connecticut Tumor Registry and National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results SEER Program; knowledge of hospital medical records and medical record library procedures; basic knowledge of data processing techniques; basic knowledge of statistical theory; interpersonal skills; considerable oral and written communication skills; ability to lead other employees.

Five (5) years' clerical experience in categorizing, cataloging, and assembling data for statistical reporting purposes.

Three (3) years' of the General Experience must have been at the level of a Medical Records Technician 1.

College training in medical secretarial work may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling six (6) months of experience to a maximum of two (2) years.

• Experience with all technical aspects of SEER central cancer registry activities; including casefinding audits, case reconciliation and consolidation, visual editing, death clearance, remote abstracting, and facility follow-back procedures
• Experience with quality assurance and quality improvement, including participation in both SEER lead Quality Improvement Experts (QIE) projects and local quality assurance projects; this should include identification of potential quality aberrations, increasing efficiencies, and the evaluation of project results
• Experience or training in cancer-related diseases, including etiology, pathology, symptoms, signs, diagnostic studies, treatment modalities and prognoses, medical terminology, basic anatomy, pathology, pharmacology, and related coding and staging systems
• Experience independently locating, compiling, and analyzing information, data, and/or facts from specialized sources
• Experience, training and/or mentoring cancer registrars in registry technical operations, including casefinding, multiple primaries and complex histologies, staging, and treatment, both within the CTR and as a resource for hospital registrars; this should include providing direction, identifying resources, and providing written documentation as indicated
• Professional credentialing as either a Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR), Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA)/Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT), or Certified Coding Specialist (CCS); or eligible for credentialing

Incumbents in this class may be required to travel within the State in the course of their daily work and may be required to attend special courses which may require out-of-state travel.

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.