Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Summary

This position is located in the Health Administration Department at the VA Austin Clinic in Austin - Texas. The incumbent will be responsible for the intake and administrative process for Veterans and beneficiaries applying for medical services at our Health Care System or to any of its Community Based Outpatients Clinics (CBOCs) and satellite clinics. Attention to detail is mandatory for the duties involved in this position.

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
• No experience required
• Education
• High school diploma - General Education Development equivalency certificate - or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial- level Board or Department of Education
• 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: GS-06 Experience
• One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level
• Examples of experience may include - but not limited to: scheduling - canceling - re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults
• 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
• coordinate 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.)
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• Candidates must demonstrate all of 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 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: Customer service/interpersonal skills (Face-to-Face - telephone - written) 1 years' experience working in administrative/clerical setting 1 years' experience in office automation (ability to use and navigate between various types of office equipment and software) Organization skills Multitasking skills Adaptability 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 sedentary
• Some work may require movement between offices - hospitals - warehouses - and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work
• Work may also require walking/standing - in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site
• Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.
  
  

Duties

• Major duties include - but are not limited to: Interviews and registers applicants to determine eligibility and legal entitlement of applicants for health care - including assignment into the appropriate enrollment priority group
• Verifies eligibility using various methods - including income assessments - military discharge documents - hospital inquiry (HINQ) - benefits delivery network (BON) - Veteran information solutions (VIS) - and other means such as communications with a VA Regional Office
• Administers income assessments (means test)
• Advises and counsels Veterans and their beneficiaries or representatives of financial obligations - co-pay requirements - and their rights to appeal
• Deals with and resolves complex eligibility - co-pay - and insurance questions that arise
• Gathering - entering - and updating demographic - employment - insurance - and income verification into the Enrollment System (ES) Veteran Integrated Software Technology (VistA) - and other related programs
• Schedules all new patient appointments - to include new patient primary care appointments - lab appointments and orders - OEF/OIF/OND social work appointments - new patient orientation/education appointments - and phone or video appointments if required
• This also requires answering phones that are on an Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) system
• Process electronic health care applications and/or determine eligibility and schedule appointments for Veterans on the New EnrolleeAppointment Request (NEAR) report
• Performs other related duties as assigned
• VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo Work Schedule: 08:00 am-4:30 pm - Monday- Friday Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 50344 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• 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)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior work experience or military service experience
• 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)
• Telework: Not Available