Advanced Medical Support Assistant

About the role

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant will be located at the Buffalo VA Medical Center's Specialty Care Call Center. The incumbent utilizes multiple computer applications, as well as the integrated electronic medical record system. The role involves developing and maintaining effective and efficient communication with patients and/or caregivers, interdisciplinary team, VA medical centers, and other agencies.

Responsibilities

• Manage written and faxed correspondence, and paper medical records within team and coordinate release of information in accordance with policy.
• Verify and update patient demographics.
• Manage health insurance information, verifying third party insurance and updating information in the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) system.
• Manage workload information, ensuring data captured according to Medical Center and HIMS established methodology using encounter system.
• Aid staff in development, preparation and use of reports associated with group practice performance, workload and business practices to optimize overall clinic practice.
• Coordinate information and actions related to patient care and ancillary services, manage scheduling package, and schedule appointments with Providers as recommended by Providers, clinical team members and integrated interdisciplinary team members in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines, TMS training, Primary Care instruction and business rules.
• Manage Recall Reminder system for assigned team.
• Manage assignment and inactivation of patients in PCMM.
• Perform telephone and face to face receptionist duties interacting with both internal and external customers and documents interactions in electronic medical record appropriately or VISTA/Microsoft Outlook using established processes.
• Screens patients to obtain appropriate medical information, providing timely assistance within scope of practice and referring clinical concerns to appropriate team member.
• Process emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals.
• Perform basic eligibility, co-pays and preauthorization requirements for specific coverage (i.e., TRICARE, sharing agreements, etc.).
• Recruit and assist with and/or enroll patients in VA systems and Secure Messaging.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.g.) 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. Licensure/Certificate/Registration. None 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 English Language Proficiency. MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).

Skills

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