Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

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: MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.j.

Experience and Education

Experience: Six 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: High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education; 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. 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).

Grandfathering Provision: All MSAs employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held, [which] are [a] part of the basic requirements of the occupation.

For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Such employees may be reassigned, promoted, or [changed to a lower grade] within the occupation.

Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.

If an employee who was converted to [Title] 38 hybrid status under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

Grade Determinations

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-6 Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 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.

Preferred Experience

Call center experience is preferred. 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

Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing.

The Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) or AMSA is responsible for routing clinical questions to appropriate clinical staff. The AMSA plays an integral role in achieving first-contact resolution through Veteran-centered delivery of care. They provide information on programs and initiatives available to Veterans and provides administrative referrals of services as needed.

Duties of the position include, but are not limited to: Provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an inter-professional coordinated care delivery model. Works collaboratively with VISN programs, services, and inter-professional coordinated care team members to provide access to care and meet the needs of Veterans via various available contact modalities to include but not limited to telephone calls, secure messaging, chat, text messaging and video.

Responsible for answering telephones, secure messages and chat messages, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the VISN CCC, scheduling appointments, interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines.

Other 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; gathering and obtaining medical information from patients; processing medication refill requests; reviewing electronic health record, obtaining medical records, faxing, participating in huddles with other MSAs and/or VISN CCC staff to determine the daily needs of the VISN CCC, monitoring outpatient appointments in areas of responsibility; and verifying and updating demographics when contacted by patients.

Manages patient systems to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues; evaluates patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether the patient requires an immediate appointment; informs inter-professional team members about shared patients (i.e.)., those who receive their care at multiple VA centers or those who receive care in the community.

Provides information and resolution to Veterans' requests within scope, uses administrative judgement to escalate symptomatic concerns to clinicians within the VISN CCC or directs the contact to the appropriate discipline within the CCC or department for resolution. Screens incoming contacts and independently routes the contacts to the appropriate area for resolution.

Uses advanced knowledge of health care process as it relates to access of care to ensure Veteran appointment scheduling is efficient, operational and prioritized to maintain Veteran flow and clinic readiness. Operates within the various contact modalities to receive and respond to incoming and outgoing contacts using computerized interfaces and telecommunications hardware and software. Other related duties may be assigned.

Schedule will be assigned due to staffing coverage needs of the service post completion of required training. Applicants will be sent forward based on application date and time. 50 applicants will be reviewed and if no selections are made, an additional review of the next 50 applicants will be submitted.

Work Schedule: Full-Time, Variable tour of duty to include nights, weekends, and holidays as directed by supervisor, Subject to change to meet the needs of the Agency Telework: Not available; Remote position Virtual: This is a virtual/remote position. This position is eligible for Remote/Virtual work at location listed above. However, this position may fall under the Presidential Memorandum tiled "Return to In-Person Work" which will require you to go into the office.

This position has an approved exemption from the Return to Office memorandum. Functional Statement #: 09608-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized