Advanced Medical Support Assistant

Summary

The employee serves as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) in the VA Care in the Community program at the Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System in Tuskegee, AL. The employee will be responsible for receiving and completing calls to Veterans, Vendors, other VA staff members, etc.

Duties

The employee is responsible for initiating and carrying out a variety of administrative and technical duties in support of the VA Community Care Program. Duties include but not limited to: Provide expert level, efficient and accurate responsive assistance to Veterans seeking care on the Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Line within Community Care. Meet and exceed productivity standards as outlined in the yearly performance standard(s). Ability to utilize multiple systems to review consults, create packets for consults and create authorizations. Ability to process consults from end to end (i.e., preferences, review for approval from appropriate approving officials, create documentation packets (REFDOC), apply screening triage tool, apply standard episode of care (SEOC), send consult to authorization system, fax to vendor, contact vendor/Veteran about appointment information, input appointment into computerized system, mail appointment letters and authorizations). Provide seamless Customer Service via different mediums-phone, face to face, a plethora of computer-based software- to ensure the appropriate service recovery and customer satisfaction. Monitoring the Community Care Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) line which is an integral part of the Community Care Program. Screen/receive phone calls in a courteous and timely manner, determines the nature of the request, assess the caller needs, and provide the desired information using HIPPA guidelines and established Community Care processes. Complete warm handoffs to other departments as deemed appropriate. Provide vendors and Veterans with consult updates as requested. Contact Veterans by telephone to educate the Veteran on the Community Care consult process and coordinate appointment(s) with other VA facilities, contract Vendors, or Community providers. Will have advanced knowledge of methods and metrics that directly affect access to Community Care, hospital performance goals and objectives, as well as public image. Perform additional duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 7:30am to 4:00pm, Monday - Friday. Work schedule subject to change due to the needs of the department. Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer 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. Functional Statement #: 619-61272F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

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 Policy. Experience: None. Education: High school diploma General Education Development equivalency certificate or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial -level Board or Department of Education. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. §7403(f) . May 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 specified. Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade. In addition to meeting the experience for the GS-06 level, you must possess the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. 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. 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. Preferred Experience: Clerical experience, Microsoft excel, Call Center experience. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing; clear, distinctive speech; and manual dexterity. The position requires potentially long periods of continued sitting, telephone and computer usage, walking, standing, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing. Transferring of equipment/objects may be required

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.