Temporary Medical Records Abstractor

Westat is seeking Temporary Medical Records Abstractors or individuals with some experience with medical records or health insurance records coding, quality control or review, or similar skills and/or experience to work on-site at our Rockville campus on a data collection effort to abstract specific data items from hospital data. The project is expected to be completed by late September. The primary role is to review medical records in a sampled hospital's emergency department(s), abstract specific information from the patient's chart following the project's case identification protocol, and entering the information into a data collection tool.
JOB SUMMARY
The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) is a data collection effort sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). DAWN collects emergency department data from a sample of hospitals across the US, with a focus on identifying sentinel drug events. In the wake of the opioid epidemic, SAMHSA’s focus for DAWN is to be a true early warning system for drug-related events, identifying new and emerging drugs and use patterns, and for this surveillance data to be quickly available to participating hospitals and health officials at the local level.
The primary role of the medical record abstractor (MRA) is to review medical records in a sampled hospital’s emergency department(s), abstract specific information from a patient’s chart following the project’s case identification protocol, and entering the information into a data collection tool.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
Candidates must:

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Be available to complete mandatory web-based home study training sessions prior to in-person training.
• Be available to complete in-person training at the Operations Center in Rockville, Maryland after completing the home study.
• Have a HS diploma or its equivalent.

• Be available to work up to 40 hours per week. The schedule requires daytime hours (07:00 am – 5:00pm).
• Be available for data collection period expected to end September 2023.

• Be able to read medical charts in English.
• Have excellent computer and math skills.
• Adhere to the requirements for confidentiality as required by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
• Be able to meet the physical requirements of the position, with or without reasonable accommodations:
  • Lift and/or carry 15 pounds of study materials and
• Have excellent communication skills.
• Lift and/or carry 15 pounds of study materials and
• Be able to work consistently in an organized manner. Must be conscientious, dependable, and be able to work well with others.
• Have one year of Medical Records Abstraction or similar experience.
• Be familiar with medical terminology and medical records.
• Be able to work independently and maintain good rapport with project staff.

• Be willing to comply with all training requirements.

• At least one year of experience in a job with exposure to medical terminology such as a Medical Billing Coder, Emergency Medical Technician, work in a hospital or doctor’s office.
• Knowledge or experience with electronic health record systems.

• Follow the DAWN protocol for reporting the number of visits, charts reviewed, and number of DAWN cases identified each day.
• Review and abstract data from participating hospitals’ emergency department medical records using the hospital’s charting system and DAWN abstracting protocols.
• Enter data into a web-based system each workday.
• Complete initial training and refresher trainings, as directed.
• Maintain open, positive communication with supervisors (including weekly meetings), and maintain all project communications, reference materials and equipment according to project requirements.
• Review abstracted data for completeness and accuracy.
• Must be available to work a specified number of hours per week and maintain the work schedule.

• Must complete a mandatory background check.
• Must successfully complete online remote training soon after hiring, followed by in-person training in Rockville, Md.
• Must comply with all confidentiality requirements.

Additional Duties and Responsibilities
Other duties or responsibilities may be assigned due to changes in study protocol or conditions during the field data collection period.
Westat is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, genetic information, gender identity or expression, or any other protected status under applicable law.