Medical Support Assistant

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. NOTE: You must include qualifying specialized experience employment periods in mm/yyyy to mm/yyyy format on your resume and indicate Full-Time or Part-Time (if Part-time, must include # of hours worked per week).

AND, if you have held a Government position, that position's grade level MUST be listed on your resume; Failure to include all requirements in your resume may result in disqualification. Please refer to USAJOBS Help Center - What should I include in my federal resume? for additional information on resume requirements.

01Basic Requirements

To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must possess the following: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. High school diploma or transcript (including homeschooling) OR, General Education Development (GED) certificate OR, Proficiency certificate issued by a State or Territorial Board or Department of Education OR, Post-high school education 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).

02Grade Determinations

GS-05 Medical Support Assistant Experience or Education: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, one (1) year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-04).

Examples of creditable experience include but are not limited to: interviewing patients for appointments; referring patients to other medical specialty clinics; reviewing and documenting medical outpatient and inpatient electronic health records, as well as administrative records; verifying third party insurance and updating information in the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) system; obtaining medical information from patients; and scheduling appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. -OR- (2) years of education above high school AND-In addition to meeting the experience or education for the GS-5 level above, You must meet the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.

Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution. Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying information (PII) into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.

Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers. 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-5 Physical Requirements: The work is mostly sedentary.

It typically requires sitting with sustained periods of concentration. There will be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of relatively light objects. The position may also require stooping, reaching, lifting, pulling, and other moderate exertion or strain. Incumbent may occasionally have to walk some distance to a meeting.

The Medical Support Assistant (MSA) is responsible for performing a variety of technical support duties that facilitate the work of physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nursing assistants, and other members of the medical facility who provide direct patient care. MSAs are considered chief sources of patient care and patient flow information. The MSA is a key member of the patient care team providing crucial administrative advice and guidance.

The MSA performs clerical work in support of the care and treatment given to patients. The incumbent may work in the Call Center, Urgent Care, or in an interdisciplinary care team within a primary care team or specialty clinic on an infrequent basis. The incumbent performs duties related to scheduling per the National Scheduling Directive and will interface with personal computer (PC) applications as well as numerous Vista applications and Federal Electronic Health Record (EHR).

The MSA screens/receives phone calls in a courteous and timely manner, determines the nature of request and provides the information desired using privacy rules and established clinic processes. Responsible for following through on providers' orders including scheduling appropriate consultation requests, labs, x-rays and various other specialty clinics available at the CBOC. Schedule all appointments with the patient's input, either in person or by phone.

This may require a high level of coordination to avoid patients having to make multiple trips to the clinic whenever possible. Notifies supervisor when clinic access is less than desirable or if an individual patient cannot be scheduled within mandated clinic timeframes. Daily review of active/pending consults. Assist the veteran in creating a beneficiary travel request via paper form or use of the veteran kiosk.

• Meet, communicate, and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and with other health care team members in order to complete job assignments.
• Use various types of office automation equipment and software, to include ability to set up, organize, and maintain record systems.
• Utilizes such programs and databases to make appointments in a clinical setting.
• Maintains patient confidentiality with information, per HIPAA requirements.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am -4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 91462VS Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Recruitment Incentive: Not Authorized 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)