Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Summary This position is located at the Cumberland VA Community Clinic in Mechanicsburg - Pennsylvania - and provides support to the Health Administration Service. Responsibilities include providing administrative assistance to physicians - physician assistants - advanced registered nurse practitioners - nurses - dietitians - social workers - and other administrative and professional staff throughout the Primary Care service area. 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 United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA PolicyExperienceNoneEducationHigh school diploma - General Education Development equivalency certificate - or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of EducationForeign 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. programsEnglish 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.jMay 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for placement at grade levels specifiedMedical Support Assistant (Advanced) - GS-06 Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade levelExperience includes - but is not limited to: answering phones - greeting patients - relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unitscheduling - canceling - re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults - including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelinesentering no-show informationmonitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sourcesparticipating in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinicverifying and updating demographics and insurance information when patients check-in for appointmentscoordinates 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 (i.e. - TRICARE - sharing agreements - collaterals - research patient - VA employee - etc.)Knowledge - Skills - and AbilitiesIn addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines (e.gmedical 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 metAbility to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines - ensuring compliance with established processes - policies - and regulationsAbility to communicate tactfully and effectively - electronically - by phone - in person - and in writing - with internal and external customersThis may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels - as well as resolving patient concernsAdvanced 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 careAdvanced 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 - etcAdvanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by cliniciansPreferred Experience: Medical SchedulingReference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.Physical Requirements: Work is performed in an office setting and is primarily sedentaryMay require lifting and carrying of light loads (e.gfiles - records - etc.) Duties VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo The Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery modelWork involves specialized administrative judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics - specialties - and /or care in the community resourcesSome of the major duties of this position include - and are not limited to: Answering phones - greeting patients - relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unitScheduling - canceling - re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults - including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelinesEntering no-show informationMonitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sourcesVerifying and updating demographics and insurance information when patient's check-in for appointmentsCoordinates 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 (i.e. - TRICARE - sharing agreements - collaterals - research patient - VA employee - etc.)Recommend changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelinesCoordinates 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 adjusts as necessaryDevelop and/or maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient - interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model teams - VA medical centers - and other agenciesProcesses incoming patient secure messaging through MyHealthyVet and coordinate with care team as appropriateParticipate 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 teamSetting priorities and deadlines - adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needsIdentifies incomplete encounters and communicates findings to providers as neededEnters appropriate information into the electronic recordmonitors pre-appointment information and/or requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedureManage patient systems to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issuesevaluate patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether the patient requires an immediate appointmentinforms team members about shared patientsWork Schedule: Monday- Friday9:00 a.m- 5:30 p.mTelework: Not AvailableVirtual: This is not a virtual positionFunctional Statement #: 595-04116-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional