Job Summary

The VA New Jersey Healthcare System (VANJHS) is hiring 1 Part-Time Advanced Medical Support Assistant (MSA) for the Specialty Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) located in the Medical Administration Service (MAS) for the East Orange facility. The Advanced MSA provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model.

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. Education: High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education. 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: Advanced Medical Support Assistant, GS-06: Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. Assignment. The Advanced Medical Support Assistant provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively within an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. The work requires specialized administrative judgment and flexible use of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and care-in-the-community resources. The incumbent recommends changes to clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines and demonstrates expertise in utilizing advanced patient systems to support multiple clinics. The Advanced MSA coordinates with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability and ensure schedules are effectively monitored and adjusted as necessary. The incumbent develops and maintains effective communication with patients, care team members, VA medical centers, and external agencies. Duties may include supporting inpatient-to-outpatient transitions, communicating with non-VA facilities, preparing patient correspondence such as normal lab notifications, and managing follow-up systems including consults and tests. Additional assignments at this level include processing patient secure messages through MyHealtheVet, participating in team huddles and meetings, setting priorities and deadlines, adjusting work flow to meet patient and team needs, identifying incomplete encounters, assisting the team in reinforcing the plan of care, entering information into the electronic record, monitoring pre-appointment requirements, validating and resolving issues in patient systems, evaluating patient information to determine the need for immediate appointments, and informing the team about shared patients who receive care at multiple VA facilities or in the community. Higher-level duties must comprise at least 25% of the incumbent's time and reflect significant scope, administrative independence, complexity, and variety consistent with the GS-6 grade level. And Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines to support team goal-setting and ensure that patient care needs are met. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines while ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations. Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively by phone, electronically, in person, and in writing with internal and external customers. This includes preparing reports, presenting data, and resolving patient concerns. Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process, including scheduling across interdisciplinary care delivery models, care-in-the-community processes, and patient health care portals as they relate to access to care. Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with coordinated care delivery and care-in-the-community activities affecting patient flow and administrative functions, including appointment cycles, referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, and provider availability. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians. 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: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.