Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Summary

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant serves in interchangeable roles within the Scheduling Section in support of and in conjunction with Patient Aligned Care Team delivery method of care. The Advanced MSA works collaboratively with all members of an expanded health care team including Primary Care Providers, Nurse Case managers, Social Workers, Dieticians, Mental Health staff and Specialty and Ancillary Services to provide a robust interdisciplinary approach to care.

Duties

The Advanced MSA (AMSA) utilizes numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics involved in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Duties include, but are not limited to: Coordinates with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability. Schedules new and established patient appointments. Tracks and facilitates completion of encounters and consults. Participates in team huddles and team meetings to manage and plan patient care. Sets priorities and deadlines, adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs. Works with the team to reinforce the plan of care and self-help solutions and entering appropriate information into the electronic record. Monitors pre-appointment requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure (e.g., X-ray, lab work). Manages electronic wait list to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues. Participates and provides input in problem solving on operational issues or procedures in team meetings. Performs administrative follow up actions. Participates in and independently follows up on team huddles by sharing information and collaborating with the medical team to assure continuity of care. Evaluates patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether patient is vested. Gathers information and collects/compiles data to meet the needs of the service. Educates providers about shared patients (those who receive their care at multiple VAs or those who have care in the community) and brings to the attention of the providers. Takes care of inventories, supplies, and office supplies. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm (Subject to change based on needs of agency). Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 542-04318F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized 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. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C 7403(f). Experience: No experience required. Education: High School Diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education. 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 Determination: In addition to the basic requirements listed above, the following experience and knowledge, skills, and abilities criteria must be met: Experience: One (1) year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. Examples of qualifying experience include but are not limited to: scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults; entering no-show information; monitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sources; monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments in areas of responsibility; verifying and updating demographics and insurance information; coordinating administrative functions related to emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals; and determining appointment type based on the patient's eligibility status (i.e., TRICARE, sharing agreements, etc.). AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): 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. 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 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. Creditable Experience: To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid or non-paid employment as an MSA or an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting. Preferred Experience: High volume clinic scheduling in a hospital or doctor's office Advanced customer service skills as evidenced by daily interaction and communication with clinicians, patients, families and coworkers. Experience in a clinic setting with multiple inputs (in person, telephone, instant message communications) that need timely and professional resolution. Experience with computer scheduling programs or software utilized in a clinic or hospital. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation.

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/.