Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Summary

Coordinates complex patient access and administrative support across outpatient - inpatient - eligibility - and enrollment settings. Reviews clinic use - manages scheduling and wait lists - processes secure messaging - updates records - supports transfers and discharge follow-up - verifies eligibility - and resolves workflow issues while serving as a liaison among Veterans - families - care teams - VA facilities - and providers. Maintains confidentiality; supports timely - safe - patient-centered care.

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
• Grandfathering Provision: Employees in VHA in this occupation - under a permanent - appropriate - and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard - May 7 - 2026 - are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held - including positive education and registration/certification Foreign Education: To be creditable - education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials
• Physical 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)
• Grade Determination: Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) - GS-06
• Experience
• One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade - GS-05
• Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 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
• 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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for 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
• Creditable Experience
• To be creditable - the experience must have required the use of knowledge - skills - and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting
• Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid or non-paid employment as an MSA or an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting
• Quality of Experience
• Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting at the next lower grade level of the position being filled
• For this assignment - the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope - administrative independence - complexity - and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time
• Part-Time Experience
• Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to a full-time workweek
• For example - an individual employed 20 hours per week - or on a half-time basis - would receive credit for 1 full-time workweek for each 2 weeks of service.
  
  

Duties

• Duties include - but are not limited to: Coordinate patient scheduling - cancellations - rescheduling - consults - and appointment tracking
• Serve as the main communication link among Veterans - families - care teams - VA facilities - non-VA providers - and clinical staff
• Review clinic utilization - monitor clinic setup - and adjust workflow to meet patient and team needs
• Support continuity of care through discharge coordination - follow-up care - transfers - and handoffs
• Enter - verify - and update electronic records - demographics - insurance - eligibility - and administrative documentation
• Manage electronic wait lists - validate accuracy - and monitor pre-appointment requirements
• Identify and help resolve scheduling - workflow - access - equipment - and procedural issues
• Process secure messaging - patient notifications - and normal lab-result communications
• Interpret eligibility requirements and support admissions - transfers - discharges - enrollment - and benefits access
• Protect sensitive information and comply with Privacy Act - HIPAA - VA - and VHA requirements
• Work Schedule: Monday -Friday - 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Available - ad-hoc only - in accordance with agency policies
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 53753-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized