Medical Support Assistant (Adv

Summary

The incumbent of this position serves as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant with the Oscar G. Johnson - VAMC (OGJVAMC) - Home and Community Based Care department. This department is a patient-focused - outcome-oriented care system in which efficient coordination of care is of primary concern. This care is tailored to each individual Veteran's needs - which allows for proper care - education and support of each Veteran.

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
• Education or Training: 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 One year above high school
• OR Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable
• Physical Requirements: Must pass a pre-employment physical per 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
• IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS LISTED ABOVE - YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING GRADE REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION
• GS-6 Grade Requirements: You must have one year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 level
• Specialized experience includes - but is not limited to: Advising clinical staff on current administrative processes
• Answering phones - greeting patients - relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit - scheduling - canceling - re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults in a computerized scheduling system
• interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines
• Entering no-show information
• monitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sources
• participating in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinic - monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments in areas of responsibility
• verifying and updating demographics and insurance information when patients check-in for appointments
• Coordinates administrative functions relating to emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals and determines appointment type based on the patient's eligibility status (i.e. - TRICARE - sharing agreements - collaterals - research patient - VA employee - etc.)
• AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• Candidates must demonstrate the KSAs 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: Community Care experience Home Care Nursing Home experience Billing experience Administrative Secretarial experience: 1-2 years Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• 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.
  
  

Duties

• The incumbent provides administrative support to clinicians and other administrative and professional staff throughout the medical staff office for purposes of coordinating Home and Community Based Care (H&CBC) medical care for Veterans when the inpatient or outpatient provider has deemed such care necessary
• The VACC program requires administrative scheduling and appointment coordination for diagnostic testing - and consultative appointments for many clinical services
• Incumbent must receive phone calls in a courteous and timely manner - determine the nature of requests - provide the information desired using privacy rules and established processes
• A caring - compassionate and sensitive manner is essential when explaining procedures to Veterans and their family both in person and on the phone
• This position is responsible for generating authorizations for pre-authorized outpatient - unauthorized and emergency care claims - while making eligibility determinations for the various programs in H&CBC
• He/She acts as a liaison between the veteran and the Home and Community Based vendors
• Obtains requested reports - x-rays - labs and any pertinent information required to complete the VACC Coordination consult in CPRS
• Prioritizes requested procedure based on urgency - combat veteran status and compensation and pension exams
• Provides advisory and technical assistance to Veterans and staff in answering questions
• Provides necessary information to the staff and the patient - dealing with a wide range of problems including atypical and complex situations
• Employee works collaboratively with the Medical Center's managers - PACT Teams - VA providers - HCBC Team and discipline specific functional area professional and clinical leaders - as well as Social Workers - Managers and Non-VA healthcare professionals and community vendors
• Employee must acquire knowledge of internal organizational procedures - knowledge of various facility services - knowledge of commonly used medical terminology and abbreviations - and VA acronyms and their meaning
• Develops and continuously monitors dealings with administrative quality assessment and improvement activities
• 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
• Additional duties or tasks may be assigned by the Service Chief or supervisor to ensure efficient daily operations Work Schedule: Full Time Mon-Fri 08;00AM-4:30PM
• Telework: Not Suitable Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #:08922F