Medical Support Assistant - Advanced

Summary

The Wilmington VA Medical Center is recruiting to fill Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) vacancies. The Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) will function in Health Administration Service.

Duties

Duties of a Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) include but are not limited to: Screens/receive phone calls in a courteous and timely manner, determine the nature of request and provide the information desired using privacy rules and established clinic processes. Utilizes call lists and telephones Veterans to pre-register them before their scheduled visits. Collects and updates insurance information from Veterans, family members and other eligible patients. Promotes Veterans registration for and utilization of MyHealthyVet (MHV). Communicates and interacts with patients in a manner which is appropriate to cognitive, emotional, and chronological maturation needs of the adult and/or geriatric patient. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 05605-F 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. 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). Grade Determinations: Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-06 Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-5). This is the full performance level for MSAs. At this level, the MSA independently performs a full range of duties related to the delivery of health care services in an inpatient or outpatient setting. Advises clinical staff on current administrative processes. The MSA is responsible for answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit, and scheduling appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. Assignments 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 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 Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience 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. 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: Work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. The ability to deal effectively with organizational change, role ambiguity and the stresses of juggling many priorities and rapidly responding to unanticipated critical situations is essential.

Education

Documentation Requirements for Proof of High School Completion or higher If using post-high school education to substitute for experience at the GS-4 or GS-5, you must submit a copy of your unofficial or official transcript with your application.If selected, to meet the basic requirement of high school education or equivalent and prior to a firm offer being extended, applicants must provide one of the following as verification of the education requirement if not covered under the grandfathering provision: Copy of high school diploma OR high school transcript (unofficial or official) OR GED certificate OR homeschooling completion OR proficiency certificate issued by a State or Territorial Board or Department of Education OR college transcript (official). 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/.