Advanced Medical Support Assistant

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Astoria (OR); On-site; USD 57,000 - 74,000; Full time

Job summary

The incumbent serves as a Medical Support Assistant in a Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) within the VA Portland Health Care System. Duties include receipt, intake, and indexing of health and administrative information, interfacing with PC and Vista applications.

Core responsibilities include scheduling, updating demographics, verifying eligibility and co-pays, and collaborating with the PACT to ensure efficient clinic operations.

Qualifications

• Experience scheduling patient appointments and verifying provider orders.
• Ability to interpret and verify orders per scheduling guidelines.
• Experience updating patient demographics and discussing eligibility and co-pays with patients.

Responsibilities

• Schedule, cancel, and reschedule patient appointments.
• Monitor the electronic wait list and verify checkout status.
• Verify and update patient demographics and discuss basic eligibility and co-pays with patients.
• Coordinate with PACT and interdisciplinary team to support clinic utilization.
• Maintain confidentiality of information and adhere to training requirements.

Skills

Scheduling appointments

Patient intake

Demographics updates

Vista applications

Tools

Vista applications

Job description

• Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

The incumbent serves as a Medical Support Assistant in a Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) of the Primary Care Division, at the VA Portland Health Care System. The incumbent performs duties related to the receipt, intake, and indexing of health and administrative information. The incumbent will interface with personal computer (PC) applications as well as numerous Vista applications.

Key Responsibilities

Functions or Scope of Assigned Duties: 50% Medical Support Assistant: The MSA is responsible for 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, rescheduling patient's appointments; monitoring the electronic wait list; Assists other PACT team members in identifying appointments are verified as checked out or no showed; verifying and updating demographics; and discussing basic eligibility and co-pays with patients.

The MSA verifies that insurance information is accurate and complete at time of visit or as requested by veteran and is updated using current software. Complies with the mandatory training requirements for the outpatient scheduling process. 50% Advanced Scope: Advanced Scope: In addition to the full performance duties of the GS-679-5 MSA, the Advanced MSA works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model in a Primary Care setting.

The Advanced MSA coordinates with the PACT to review the clinic utilization by using various reports (e.g., Clinic Utilization Statistical Summary), ensure that the clinic setup is closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinic, and make any necessary adjustments to the provider matrices by means coordinating with supervisors.

They develop/maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary team, VA medical centers, and other agencies. (e.g., assist with communications; communicate with non-VA medical facilities; facilitate/process secure messaging with the patient and team).

Supervisory Controls: Employee plans and organizes work with general assistance of the supervisor as to meet local and VA-wide time frames to complete analysis requirements, reports and special assignments and only refers to the non-routine and high technical problems to his/her supervisor. The incumbent is responsible for reporting backlogs, difficulties in meeting deadlines, uncooperative physicians, or difficulty in securing information from clinicians or the record.

Is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of information obtained to carry out required duties. Work Schedule: Compressed/Flexible: No Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.

When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

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) Highly qualified selected applicants with exceptional skills and experiences may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience.

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: No Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements & 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/.

Which agency is hiring for this position?

This position is with Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.

What is the salary for this position?

The posted pay range is $56716 - $73731/yr.

What is the application deadline?

Applications close on 2027-09-30.

How many openings are available?

There are 7 openings for this position.

Who is eligible to apply?

This position is open under the 'Fed Competitive' hiring path.