Advanced Medical Support Assistant

This position is located in the Patient Business Service at the Chillicothe VAMC. The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) will be assigned to a Patient care aligned team, Specialty care setting or various departments within the medical center. The AMSA performs duties related to the receipt, intake, and indexing of health and administrative information and scheduling. The AMSA will interface with personal computer (pc) and/or laptop applications as well as numerous EHRM applications.

Qualifications:

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Experience or Education: Six months experience of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position; OR High school diploma with desire for some post high school education or equivalent experience; OR Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.
• Licensure/Certification/Registration: None
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations: To qualify for the GS-6 grade level, you must have one year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. Experience at the GS-5 includes but is not limited to: scheduling, cancelling, re-scheduling patients appointments and/or monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility, ensuring encounter forms are completed in order to obtain appropriate workload credit, verifying and updating demographics and insurance information, processing all emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals, performing basic eligibility, co-pays and preauthorization requirements for specific coverage, etc.

Candidates must also demonstrate all of the knowledge, skills, and abilities below:

• Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines (e.g. medical doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, clinical pharmacists, and nursing staff) to accomplish team goal setting to ensure medical care to patients is met.
• Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
• Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively, electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing, with internal and external customers. This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient concerns.
• Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process (including, but not limited to, scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community models and patient health care portals) as it relates to access to care.
• Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community operational activities that affect patient flow, and patient support care administrative functions to include, but not limited to appointment cycles, outside patient referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, provider availability, etc.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.

Preferred Experience: None

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-6.

Physical Requirements: The position consists of sedentary and active tasks. Sedentary tasks included but are not limited to sitting at a desk, utilizing a computer (pc) / laptop, completing phone calls both incoming and outgoing utilizing a headset and charting in patient medical records. Active tasks include but are not limited to walking, standing, bending, steps, squatting, reaching above and below your head, carrying light items such as books, papers, and adaptive equipment.

Responsibilities:

VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo

Duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Coordinates with the patient care team to review the clinic utilization by using various reports (e.g., Clinic Utilization Statistical Summary), to ensure that the clinic setup is closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinic and make any necessary adjustments.
• Develops/ maintains effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary team, VA medical center, and other agencies, as needed.
• Participates in team huddles and team meetings to manage and plan patient care.
• Participates in and independently follow up on team huddles by sharing information and collaborating with the medical team to assure continuity of care.
• Evaluates patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether a patient is vested.
• Communicates with physicians, case managers, and other allied health professional staff using sound interpersonal skill while being constantly aware of sensitive information.
• Works with the team to reinforce the plan of care and self-help solutions and entering appropriate information into the electronic record.

Work Schedule: Intermittent. There is no required shift and hours worked will be on an as needed basis decided upon the needs of the service.
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not Authorized
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #:93572-O
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Salary : $49,393