Summary The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (MSA) position serves as an Inpatient Ward/outpatient clinic clerk and has a foundational role within the Louis A. Johnson VAMC within the Health Administration Service. The Advanced MSA provides administrative support to (but is not limited to) Physicians, Physician's Assistants, Nurses, Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners, Dietitians, Social Workers, and other administrative and professional staff throughout the facility. Responsibilities VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Incumbent must screen/receive phone calls in a courteous and timely manner, determine the nature of request, and provide the information desired in accordance with VHA privacy regulations and established release of information processes. The incumbent is responsible for accurate appointment management and the coordination of all administrative information between the professional staff and the Veteran. This includes checking-in Veterans for appointments, updating, and verifying demographic information, scheduling and rescheduling appointments, obtaining insurance information upon every visit. S/he refers Veterans to the eligibility/enrollment office when means testing is required. S/he independently handles scheduling problems and deviations based on obtained knowledge of clinic/ward operations and policy, schedules, and provider preferences. S/he explains the VA's mandate to collect third party insurance information to Veterans, their families, and all eligible patients. S/he scans and updates health insurance information upon every visit. Verify third party insurance and update information in the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) System. Utilizing the Recall reminder software, s/he must maintain appointment recall data accurately and consistently. Incumbent properly documents if Veteran is deemed ineligible for services and forwards the information to the appropriate staff. S/he refers incomplete check-outs to the Provider for prompt completion. Manages the Electronic Wait-List in accordance to VHA policy. Notifies his/her supervisor when clinic access is less than desirable or if an Individual patient cannot be scheduled within mandated timeframes. Performs daily review of active/pending consults, Electronic Wait-List, Recall list and Audio care communications for accuracy and disposition per VHA policies and as assigned Incumbent(s) working on inpatient wards are responsible for processing, verifying, extracting Provider orders from CPRS; as well as clearing unverified orders daily and filing appropriate forms. Processes Veteran Identification Cards (VHIC) as required. Encourages Veteran registration for and the utilization of My HealtheVet (MHV). All levels of staff are responsible to adhere to patient safety standards; requesting the correct Veterans Affairs identification of all patients (VHA Directive 2012-036 Identity Authentication for Health Care Services). When documents/records are received, the incumbent will ensure that all necessary health/administrative information are integrated into Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) by sending the documents to scanning. S/he must coordinate efforts to ensure all aspects of duties are accomplished with efficiency and of high quality, and must report all backlogs immediately to their supervisor. Assures that duties associated to the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) are done accurately and timely. In this position the Medical Support Assistant could be asked to work in different outpatient clinics/inpatient wards and/or business offices within HAS to support staffing needs for the department 25% or less of their work week (as per the AFGE master agreement). Employee must complete and adhere to mandatory annual VHA training requirements. Incumbent is expected to adhere to VHA Handbook 5011/27 Hours of Duty and Leave, and is expected to manage his/her leave appropriately. Additional duties or tasks may be assigned by the supervisor/higher level leader to ensure efficient daily operations. Work Schedule: Tour is subject to change to meet the needs of our Veterans and/or the Medical Center. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): 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) 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 #: 22033-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment RESUME REQUIREMENTS - Your resume MUST include the following information: Job Title (for each position) Description of duties (be as detailed as possible) Month and year start/end dates (e.g. June 2018 to April 2020) of employment Full-time or part-time status (include average hours worked per week) You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. 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 and Education: Experience. 12 months experience of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position OR, Education. One year above high school; OR, Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable Certification: None required. Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs. 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: Advanced Medical Support Assistant GS-6 Grade Level: Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. Experience is defined as experience that includes, but is not limited to: scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient's appointments and/or consults; entering no-show information; monitoring the electronic wait list; preparing for clinic visits; monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility; ensuring encounter forms are completed in order to obtain appropriate workload credit; verifying and updating demographics and insurance information; processing all emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals; performing basic eligibility, co-pays and pre-authorization requirements for specific coverage (i.e., TRICARE, sharing agreements, etc.). Preferred Experience: Medical scheduling experience Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively, both orally and in writing Knowledge of Medical Terminology and abbreviations Candidates must also be able to demonstrate the following Knowledge, skills, and abilities for the GS-0679-6 level to qualify for this position: 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 and abbreviations Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is a GS-06. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is a GS-06. Physical Requirements: VA Directive and Handbook 5019. Work is partially sedentary, with frequent walking, standing, bending. carrying of light items such as papers and books, or small parts. Some slight physical effort may be required. Incumbent may be susceptible to eyestrain from working long hours on the computer. 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/. Additional Information Whole Health is an approach to health care that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their life to the fullest. The VA is committed to Whole Health and values Veteran and Employee health and wellbeing. As a VA employee, you will practice Whole Health in an environment that supports personalized and proactive care. Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
