Job Summary

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) provides essential Administrative and clerical support to outpatient community-based outpatient clinics with the VA Caribbean Healthcare System (VACHS) in Saint Croix and US Virgin Island. Working as part of an interdisciplinary care team, the AMSA ensures efficient clinic operations by managing patient flow, coordinating appointments, and facilitating diagnostic and treatment orders.

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. 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 Certification. None required 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 English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403( 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-679-6 GS-06 Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-679-5 grade level. Examples of this includes, but is not limited to: independently performing duties related to the delivery of health care services in an inpatient or outpatient setting; advising clinical staff on current administrative processes; interpreting and verifying provider orders; 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; verifying and updating demographics & insurance information when patients check-in for appointments; coordinating administrative functions related to emergency & non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals & determines appointment type based on the patient's eligibility status (i.e., TRICARE, sharing agreements, collaterals, research patient, VA employee, etc.); etc. 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. Preferred Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-5). One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade. This experience may include but is not limited to: Advise clinical staff on current administrative processes. Answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the clinic, and scheduling appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines Scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults; entering no-show information; monitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sources; participating in huddles with 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., sharing agreements, collaterals, research patient, VA employee, etc.). Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: : The Medical Support Assistant work is mostly sedentary; however, some walking; standing, and carrying light items are required. Light filing, sometimes involving working close to the floor, is involved. Wrist and back protection can be provided to minimize the risks associated with prolonged use of automated data processing equipment.