Residence Requirements:

THIS EXAMINATION IS OPEN TO ALL QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES OF THE ERIE COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER CORPORATION CORPORATION. There is one vacancy at the Erie County Medical Center Corporation.

The duration of all promotional eligible lists is four years from date of establishment unless otherwise indicated.

Examples of Duties:

A Lead Clinical Documentation Specialist ensures the overall quality and completeness of clinical documentation; 

Develops and implements action plans to maximize the effectiveness and success of the clinical documentation improvement (CDI) program;

Ensures timely, accurate and complete documentation of clinical information used for measuring and reporting physician and hospital outcomes;

Reviews inpatient medical records for identified payer populations (Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, etc);

Analyzes clinical status of patient, current treatment plan and past medical history and identifies potential gaps in physician documentation;

Summarizes and presents analysis findings for purposes of education and improvement;

Communicates with attending physicians and residents to validate observations and suggest additional and/or more specific documentation;

Collaborates with physician leadership to design and implement specific tools to support medical record physician documentation;

Works closely with Coding staff to assure documentation of discharge diagnoses and any coexisting co-morbidities are a complete reflection of the patient's clinical status and care;

Develops tracking mechanisms to demonstrate program impact;

Develops and implements plans for education of physician, nursing and other clinical staff;

Facilitates multidisciplinary team efforts for clinical documentation improvement.

Qualifications:

QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE FOR TAKING THE TEST: Candidates must be permanently employed in the competitive class and must be serving and have served continuously on a permanent or contingent permanent basis in the competitive class for 24 months immediately preceding the date of the written test in a position as a Clinical Documentation Specialist. 

Notes:

None

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However,candidates may find information in the publication "How to take a written test" helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at: www.cs.ny.gov/testing/localtestguides.cfm

Subjects of Examination:

SUBJECTS OF EXAMINATION: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:

1. Evaluating health care

These questions test for knowledge of medical symptoms, diagnoses, treatments, and federal and New York State quality assurance standards and discharge planning; for the ability to apply this knowledge to given situations; and for the ability to evaluate client care and treatment.

2. Medical, psychiatric, developmental conditions and treatments

These questions will test for knowledge in areas such as: acceptable treatments and standard medical alternatives; symptoms, tests, procedures, and treatments associated with specific diagnoses; evaluation of the appropriateness of treatment methods; characteristics of the various populations diagnosed with mental illness or intellectual/developmental disabilities.

3. Preparing written material

These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.

4. Supervision

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in planning, organizing, and controlling the activities of a work unit toward predetermined objectives. The concepts covered, usually in a situational question format, include such topics as assigning and reviewing work; evaluating performance; maintaining work standards; motivating and developing subordinates; implementing procedural change; increasing efficiency; and dealing with problems of absenteeism, morale, and discipline.

5. Understanding and interpreting health records and reports

These questions test for the ability to read, interpret, and apply information used in evaluating health care. You will be required to read and interpret selections from medical records and reports; laws, rules, and regulations relating to health care; and/or narratives on health-related topics.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES: Unless otherwise noted, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculators. Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited. You may not bring books or other reference materials.

INFORMATION FOR PROMOTION CANDIDATES

Unless otherwise indicated, the eligible list resulting from this examination will have a duration of four years and will not supersede existing
promotional lists, if any.

RATINGS REQUIRED: Test is rated on a scale of 100 with a passing mark at 70. Test instructions may further divide the tests into parts and set
minimum standards for each part.

Points will be added to scores of candidates who achieve a passing mark as follows: Seniority: For each year of service in the classified service:

Less than 1 year……………………..................…0 points
1 year up to 6 years…………….…........................1 point
Over 6 years up to 11 years.....………......….........2 points
Over 11 years up to 16 years….…........….........…3 points
Over 16 years up to 21 years………..................…4 points
Over 21 years………………………..................…5 points

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.