Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Summary

The incumbent serves as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant in a clinical call center setting within Patient Care Services, Daytime Telephone Program in Lexington, KY or Daytime Clinical Call Center. Incumbent works at a two-divisional teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Kentucky Medical Center at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The position is located at the Sousley Campus of the Lexington VA Health Care System.

Duties

VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo The incumbent serves as a Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) in the Daytime Clinical Call Center (DCCC). In this capacity the incumbent will provide telephone access to the Veteran population. This is a complex role requiring a global understanding of Lexington VAHCS policies and procedures. This program is a clinical and administrative network designed to provide fast, responsive assistance for veterans seeking information and care at this medical center. The immediate goal is to provide the needed information to Veterans with a first call resolution. Calls of an administrative nature will be resolved with as few call hand-offs/transfers as necessary. Calls of a clinical nature will be categorized as per guidelines and routed to the Registered Nurse Staff. The overall goal is to provide timely and appropriate telephone referral and or problem resolution. Major Duties include, but are not limited to: Works collaboratively with an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model (i.e., PACT, oncology, HIV, SCI, Military Sexual Trauma) Develop/maintain effective and efficient communication ,with the patient, interdisciplinary team, VA medical centers, and other agencies (e.g., communicate with non-VA medical facilities) Ensures timely administrative and clinical responses to patients with emergent or urgent care needs. Sets priorities and deadlines, and adjusts workflow to meet team and patient needs Acts as primary liaison between the medical facility, patients and their families for consulting, advising and assistance with program access and questions. Handles timely and accurate receipt of patient telephone contacts regarding appointments, healthcare issues, and problem resolution Routes patient calls to appropriate staff, determining urgency and appropriate response Gathers and processes background information, including clinical and administrative data, using Vista/CPRS software Monitors Telephone Care Program system activity and notifies supervisor of any issues with response times Interprets VAMC mission, policies, procedures, and resources to patients and presents their problems, opinions, and needs to the appropriate staff. Other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 31102F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases 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)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. 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)

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: Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a). 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. Licensure/Certification/Registration. None. Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. 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). 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: GS-6 Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) To qualify at this level, candidates must have: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. Examples of credible experience at this level 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; 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; coordinates administrative functions relating to emergency and non-emergency transfers to other clinical/medical facilities or private hospitals and determines appointment type based on the patient's eligibility status. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 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. Note: You must provide detailed information of your experience performed. Information such as "I was a Medical Sup