Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

About the role

Advanced Medical Support Assistants assigned to Ward Administration - Business Office at grade GS-6 are responsible for performing a variety of administrative and clerical duties and are the liaison between the nursing staff, social workers, clinics/labs/OR, and physicians in their assigned area and customers both internal and external to the medical center.

Responsibilities

• Scheduling, canceling, and rescheduling patient appointments and/or consults
• 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
• Monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments in areas of responsibility
• Verifying and updating demographics and insurance information when patients check-in for appointments
• Coordinating administrative functions relating to emergency and non-emergency transfers to other clinical/medical facilities or private hospitals and determining appointment type based on the patient's eligibility status
• Communicating 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 and ensure medical care to patients is met
• Setting priorities and organizing work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations
• Communicating tactfully and effectively, electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing, with internal and external customers
• Preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient concerns

Requirements

• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level
• Knowledge of the technical health care process (including scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community models and patient health care portals)
• 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 appointment cycles, outside patient referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, provider availability, etc.
• Knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians
• Collaboration and communication skills with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines
• Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations
• Communication skills, including preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient concerns

Qualifications

• High school diploma - General Education Development equivalency certificate - or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education
• Licensure/Certification/Registration - None
• Physical Requirements - See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements
• English Language Proficiency - Candidates 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 scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community models and patient health care portals)
• 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 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
• Collaboration and communication skills with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines
• Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations
• Communication skills, including preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient concerns

Benefits

• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time off per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full-time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
• Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
• Telework: Not Available
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position

Pay

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• A higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA

Schedule

• Day Shift: 7:00 am - 3:30 pm - Rotating Weekends
• Night Shift: 3:00 pm - 11:30 pm - Rotating Weekends