Summary The Asheville VA Healthcare System is seeking (1) highly skilled/experienced Physician Assistant to serve within Asheville Referral Coordination Service. Demonstrates leadership, experience/ingenious approaches to management of complex patient care. Accountable for the management of patient care, human, fiscal/material resources, & the total environment of the unit. Responsible to ensure that the highest possible quality of care is achieved & a safe therapeutic environment. Responsibilities The Physician Assistant (PA) will provide consult review and coordination of care to veterans to facilitate determination of eligibility for Community Care and ensuring Veterans make informed choices about where to receive specialty services. The incumbent reports to the Chief of Referral Coordination Service. Functions of Scope Assigned: The Referral Coordination Service (RCS) Physician Assistant performs review of history and physical examinations, evaluates referrals/consults for specialty care services from the CGVAMC and (3) CBOCs, may place coordinating orders and acts within the guidelines of the VHA Referral Coordination Initiative. Responsible for triage of incoming consults, provide scheduling guidance, discuss care options with the services, and be a resource to services. Must be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to evaluate referrals coordinated by the Referral Coordination Service. Knowledge of MISSION Act rules and Community Care eligibility and use the Decision Support Tool (DST) to establish eligibility. Refer eligible Veterans to Community Care using Best Medical Interest, when appropriate. Must demonstrate the knowledge of the changes associated with aging and possess the ability to evaluate veterans based upon physical, psychosocial, cultural, safety and other special considerations and identify solutions for the modality of care to meet the consulted requested service. Perform care coordination screenings utilizing Consult Toolbox Tools and Consult Tracking Manager (CTM). Reviews are for determining care coordination needs, no treatment involved. Participate in team huddles and meetings and generate reports on consults reviewed and outcomes. All referrals/consults will be reviewed, completed and processed in a timely manner in accordance with medical center policy. May also serve as the Delegation of Authority (DOA) on referrals/consults processed, as determined by Chief of Staff. Inform Veteran of all options available to the Veteran. Discuss recommendation from referring provider and specialty provider, clinically appropriate modality of care (examples Face to Face, E-Consult, Telephone, Telehealth, VA Video Connect), recommendation to receiving care in VA vs Community, availability of VA appointments, travel options, Community wait times, possible locations of community care and drive time. Discuss recommendations from E-Consults with Veterans. Document Veteran's preferences for vendor and appointment preferences using the Consult Toolbox for Veterans referred to Community Care. Additional Functions of Scope Assigned: Accountable and responsible for possessing the knowledge and skills to. Communicate and interact appropriately and courteously with all internal and external customers. Maintain confidentiality of electronic, written, and/or verbal patient/employee information. Demonstrate working practice that include adherence to practice standards and safe use and operation of equipment. Have knowledge of Windows, CPRS, VISTA, DST, CTB, CTM, PPMS, and MS Office (Word, Outlook, and Powerpoint). VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. Pay: Competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential for performance awards Paid Time Off: 50 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) 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) Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Ad hoc. With supervisory approval and following current policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment All qualified candidates encouraged to apply. Open to U.S. Citizens but non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. 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. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). You may be required to serve a probationary period. 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 probationary 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 Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary 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. Physician Assistant Basic Requirements Master's degree in any discipline or a bachelor's degree in any discipline with one year of experience as a Physician Assistant ~AND~ Successfully passed the PA National Certifying Exam (PANCE) (or are you in the process to taking the exam) ~AND~ Currently hold, or will hold, a full and unrestricted license to practice in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States or in the District of Columbia. Preferred Experience: Emergency and Trauma Grade Determinations: Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 1 to 3. Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires mostly periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing. Transferring patients and objects may be required. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients/residents who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on stakeholder needs. 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 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.
