Job Summary

This position is located under the Health Administration Service (HAS). This position continually supports the mission, vision, and values of the VA Healthcare System. The Medical Support Assistant provides medical administrative support to Veterans Hospitals and Clinics throughout HAS. The Medical Support Assistant is responsible for accurate appointment management and the coordination of all administrative information between the professional staff and the patient.

Job Description

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. English Language Proficiency. MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3. Basic Experience and Education: Experience. None Education: Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education. Certification. None required. Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs. 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-0679-05 Experience or Education. Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade which include but is not limited to, scheduling and rescheduling patients for treatment, interviewing patients for appointments, referring patients to other medical specialty clinics, providing information to patients necessary to resolve VA Handbook complaints, interacting with both internal and external customers, reviewing and documenting medical outpatient and inpatient electronic health records, as well as administrative records, verifying third party insurance and updating information in the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) system, obtaining medical information from patients, coordinating information and action related to patient care and services, and scheduling appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines, refer all questions regarding medical attention to the appropriate health care team member. OR, Education. Two years of education above high school. (Transcripts must be submitted as part of the application) Candidates must demonstrate (on the resume) all of the KSAs below: 1) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients. 2) Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution. 3) Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying information (PII) into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports. 4) Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting. 5) Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work. 6) Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers. Assignment. This is the full performance level for MSAs. At this level, the MSA independently performs a full range of duties related to the delivery of healthcare services in an inpatient or outpatient setting. Advises clinical staff on current administrative processes. The MSA is responsible for [answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit], scheduling appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. Assignments at this level include, but are 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. 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.. 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-05. Physical Requirements. The physical demands of the work are generally minor. The work is primarily sedentary (6-8 hrs.) although, there is some walking (1 hr.), bending (1hr), and carrying of bulky files (1-10 lbs.) and some extended periods of standing (2 hrs.).