Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

About the role

This position provides medical administrative support to one or more outpatient clinics and is an integral member of the clinic team to effectively carry out day-to-day administrative operations of the clinic.

Responsibilities

• Works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary care delivery model and performs receptionist, customer service, and administrative duties for the proper and timely treatment of patients.
• Demonstrates substantial skills in planning, organizing, problem-solving, and decision-making.
• Maintains appointment schedules for one or more outpatient clinics, while demonstrating a high level of oral and written communication skills.
• Provides administrative support to our clinical colleagues in the care of our Nation's Veterans.
• Utilizes a variety of patient data systems and is responsible for performing scheduling functions including appointment scheduling/rescheduling, and cancellations, providing reception to incoming and outgoing customers and communication, appointment check in/out, verification and disposition of provider orders, manual and electronic data entry, and reviewing and updating patient demographics, insurance verification and reviewing and disposition of Message Manager and Secure Messages.
• Provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model.
• Works 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 adjust as necessary.
• Participates in team huddles and team meetings to manage, plan, problem-solve, and follow-up with patient care by sharing information and collaborating with the interdisciplinary team, setting priorities and deadlines, adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs, identifies incomplete encounters, independently generates reports, and communicates findings to team members.
• Schedules patient's future appointments with appropriate clinical team members.
• Organizes paperwork required for the examination.
• Requests medical records from community healthcare facilities, schedules consultation appointments, special procedures, and/or testing labs, radiology, CPAP, PFT's, pulmonary, and other clinics to coordinate care.
• Able to interpret and communicate requirements of VHA Scheduling Directives and policies.
• Applies for appointments with the patient's input, either in person, over the phone, or through written communication, this may require a high level of coordination to avoid patients having to make multiple trips to the medical center or clinic.
• Daily review of return to clinic orders, queries, and referrals.

Requirements

Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

• 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.
• Independent set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
• Communicate tactfully and effectively, electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing, with internal and external customers.
• 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.

Skills

Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.

Benefits

Competitive salary and regular salary increases.

Pay

Higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

Schedule

Monday - Friday
8am - 4:30pm