Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Summary

This position is located at the Oneonta VA Clinic, in Oneonta, NY. The Advanced MSA works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model and performs receptionist duties, scheduling duties, customer service, and other duties as assigned for the proper and timely treatment of patients and maintains appointment schedules for one or more outpatient clinics.

Responsibilities

- Independently manages position responsibilities with little supervision and sets priorities and deadlines adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs. - Participates in the daily team huddles and weekly team meetings where patient care planning and management occur, except during staff shortages for coverage. - Ensures that insurance and demographic information is verified when the Veteran comes for his/her appointment. - Coordinates administrative services for veterans, family members, caregivers, and general public, administrative and clinical staff to ensure continuity of inpatient and outpatient care. - Develops and maintains effective working relationships with all clinical and administrative staff in determining priorities of activities in support of direct patient care. - Conducts special audits, studies, or surveys to be utilized in the development of procedures, and to assist employees in collecting complete and appropriate data for reporting processes and for generating revenue. - Generates patient workload reports for validation and monitors activity in clinical areas to assure consistent and accurate reporting. - Conducts patient/employee surveys, interviews, observes workflow; guides patients through hospital system, inputs referrals when applicable and appropriate, documents complaints, and provides follow-up and suggests resolutions to supervisor. - Schedules appointments in a timely manner. - Serves as technical advisor and liaison with contacts at all levels. - Assists with clinic access contingency plans by adjusting appointment times, location, or dates as well as shifting patients to other healthcare providers as conflict with staffing and/or coverage occurs. - Screens/receives phone calls in a courteous and timely manner, determines the nature of requests and provides the information desired using privacy rules and established clinic processes.

Requirements

- Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship, High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education. - Experience: One (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in Federal service (GS-05). Experience includes: Clinic experience in a hospital or doctor's office setting to include scheduling a high volume of appointments annually. High level customer service skills as evidenced by daily interaction and communication with clinicians, patients, families and coworkers. Evidence of work in a clinic setting with multiple inputs (in person, telephone, instant message communications) that need timely and professional resolution. Evidence of specific computer scheduling programs or software utilized in a clinic or hospital. - Assignment: Provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Work 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 resources. Recommends changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines. Expertise in utilizing numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics involved in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. 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.

Qualifications

- Experience: One (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in Federal service (GS-05). Experience includes: Clinic experience in a hospital or doctor's office setting to include scheduling a high volume of appointments annually. High level customer service skills as evidenced by daily interaction and communication with clinicians, patients, families and coworkers. Evidence of work in a clinic setting with multiple inputs (in person, telephone, instant message communications) that need timely and professional resolution. Evidence of specific computer scheduling programs or software utilized in a clinic or hospital. - Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: - 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 resolving patient concerns. - 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 operations.