Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant is within the Oscar G. Johnson, VAMC (OGJVAMC). The clinics are patient-focused, outcome-oriented care systems in which efficient coordination of care is of primary concern. This care is tailored to each individual Veteran patient's needs, which allows for proper care, education and support of each Veteran.

Qualifications:

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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: None
• Education: High School Diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
• English Language Proficiency: MSA's must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.

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:

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-06

• Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-05)

AND

• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  • KSA-1. 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.
  • KSA-2. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
  • KSA-3. 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.
  • KSA-4. 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.
  • KSA-5. Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community operational activities that affect the 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.
  • KSA-6. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.

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-06.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Physical demands do not exceed those of a typical office setting. There may be some walking, standing twisting, turning, sitting, pushing, bending, repetitive keyboarding, or carrying of light items. Some positions may require sitting for long periods of time at a computer terminal typing data while talking on a telephone headset.

Responsibilities:

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

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Major Duties:

• Provides administrative support to clinicians and other administrative and professional staff throughout the medical center for purposes of coordinating outpatient and specialty care for Veterans.
• Schedule and cancel patient appointments utilizing Medical Center electronic patient scheduling packages paying particularly close attention to special instructions or requirements of clinic profiles.
• Promptly and courteously process all pertinent provider's orders and schedule according to Veteran's preference. This shall include scheduling all follow up appointments, referrals, record requests or releases from VA or private medical facilities, lab/x-ray/EKG or other special requests.
• Timely process clinic cancellations and assure appropriate rescheduling to include sending letters to the patients or calling when given short notice.
• Interprets and transcribes a variety of providers' orders.
• Determines medical care benefits for which the Veteran is eligible by means of a working knowledge of appropriate health administration related laws, policies, guidelines and regulations.
• Assists patients in completing various health questionnaires or other screening assessment tools.
• Acts as receptionist, electronically checking in patients, receiving patients/visitors and referring callers to appropriate team members.
• Directs consultant requests received from other areas to appropriate clinical staff members. Serves as a liaison between referring sources and the clinic staff.
• Incumbent determines which Veterans may require immediate medical evaluation based on observation and information received from the Veteran or significant other about the nature of their medical problem(s).
• Develops and maintains communication with the patient, interdisciplinary team, VA medical centers, and other agencies.
• Demonstrates Patient Centered Care (PCC) through the use of effective communication with patients, families, visitors, and members of the interdisciplinary team, including the patient in mutual goal setting, and providing patient advocacy when appropriate.
• Performs administrative duties associated with patient care and treatment for all categories of beneficiaries.
• Scheduling appointments and sending variety of letters to Veterans. Incumbent also scans current health insurance cards.
• Processes requests for information from hard copy or electronic patient medical records. Processes ROI in accordance with regulations governed by the Privacy Act, Freedom of Information Act and HIPPA.
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Full Time, Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 02234F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement).

Salary : $417