Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

About the role

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) is under the scheduling section of the Health Administration Service (HAS) for the Finger Lakes VHA in support of multiple locations. They may be assigned to a VHA Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT), Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) Mental Health Team, Ancillary Services, Call Center Team, Medical Services, or a Specialty Care Setting within the VA Finger Lakes.

Responsibilities

• Provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. 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. 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.
• Utilizes specialized administrative judgment and flexibility in the use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or care in the community resources. Recommends changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guideline.
• Schedules, cancels, re-schedules patient appointments and/or consults; enters no-show information; monitors appointment requests from multiple electronic sources; participates in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinic; interviews patients for appointments; refers patients to other medical specialty clinics; provides information to patients necessary to resolve complaints; interacts with both internal and external customers; reviews and documents medical outpatient and inpatient electronic health records, as well as administrative records; verifies third party insurance and updates information in the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) system; obtains medical information from patients; coordinates information and actions related to patient care and services; and schedules appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines.
• Maintains accurate and up-to-date patient information in both inpatient and outpatient settings; verifies and updates 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.
• Coordinates with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability/utilization to ensure that clinic schedules are closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinics and makes adjustments as necessary.
• Develops and/or maintains effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies (e.g., assist with communications during the inpatient to outpatient discharge; communicate with on-VA medical facilities; prepare correspondence to notify patients of normal lab results; manage a system for follow-up care such as consults, tests, etc.).

Requirements

This is open to all US Citizens.

The duties and responsibilities of the Advanced medical Support Assistant include but are not limited to the following:

• Provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. 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. 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.
• Utilizes specialized administrative judgment and flexibility in the use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or care in the community resources. Recommends changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guideline.
• Schedules, cancels, re-schedules patient appointments and/or consults; enters no-show information; monitors appointment requests from multiple electronic sources; participates in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinic; interviews patients for appointments; refers patients to other medical specialty clinics; provides information to patients necessary to resolve complaints; interacts with both internal and external customers; reviews and documents medical outpatient and inpatient electronic health records, as well as administrative records; verifies third party insurance and updates information in the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) system; obtains medical information from patients; coordinates information and actions related to patient care and services; and schedules appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines.
• Maintains accurate and up-to-date patient information in both inpatient and outpatient settings; verifies and updates 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.
• Coordinates with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability/utilization to ensure that clinic schedules are closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinics and makes adjustments as necessary.
• Develops and/or maintains effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies (e.g., assist with communications during the inpatient to outpatient discharge; communicate with on-VA medical facilities; prepare correspondence to notify patients of normal lab results; manage a system for follow-up care such as consults, tests, etc.).

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:

• 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 and Education.
• Six months experience of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position; OR
• Education: High School Diploma; OR
• Experience/Education Combination: Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.
• 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.
• Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
• 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.j.

Grade Determinations:

• Only applicants qualifying at the GS-6 level will be considered.
• Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-6 Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level.
• 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; interviewing patients for appointments; referring patients to other medical specialty clinics; providing information to patients necessary to resolve 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.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
• i. 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.
• ii. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
• iii. 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.
• iv. 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.
• v. 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.
• vi. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.