Advanced Medical Support Assistant

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dayton (OH); On-site; USD 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

The Dayton VA Medical Center in Ohio is seeking an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) to support Primary Care. The AMSA will help achieve first-contact resolution and Veteran-centered delivery of care.

The role covers administrative and clerical duties, appointment scheduling in GUI and VISTA, patient communications, and coordination with the patient care team to ensure timely access and continuity of care. The position is on-site at Dayton and requires on-site presence.

Qualifications

• United States citizenship is required.
• Six months of clerical experience or evidence of applicable education.
• One year above high school or an equivalent combination of education/experience.
• Equivalent combinations of education and experience may qualify.
• MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English per VA Handbook 5005.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative/clerical support for patient care and the VHA PACT initiative.
• Schedule and coordinate clinic appointments using GUI and VISTA.
• Communicate with Veterans, staff, and external providers; respond to inquiries.
• Manage communications via secure messaging, mail, and phone with patients.
• Ensure timely appointment management and accurate documentation.
• Maintain professional interactions with diverse teams and follow established procedures.

Skills

English proficiency

Education

One year above high school

Job description

Summary

The Dayton - Ohio VAMC is looking for an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) to support Primary Care Service. The AMSA will play an integral role in achieving first-contact resolution through Veteran-centered delivery of care.

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/or Education: Experience
• Six months experience of clerical - office or other 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
• English Language Proficiency
• MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005
• 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)
• 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:(1) Such employees may be reassigned - promoted - or changed to a lower grade within the occupation.(2) 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.(3) 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: GS-6 Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level
• Assignment
• For all assignments above the FPL - the higher-level duties must be of significant scope - administrative independence - complexity - and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time
• At the advanced level - the Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) (AMSA) performs difficult and responsible specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model
• Work involves specialized administrative judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics - specialties - and/or care in the community resources
• Recommend changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines
• Expertise in utilizing numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics involved in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model
• Coordinates with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability (utilization) to ensure that clinic schedules are closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinics - and makes adjustments as necessary
• MSAs at this level develop and/or maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient - interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model teams - VA medical centers - and other agencies (e.g. - assist with communications during the inpatient to outpatient discharge
• communicate with non-VA medical facilities
• prepare correspondence to notify patients of normal lab results
• manage a system for follow-up care such as consults - tests - etc.)
• 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-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-6 to GS-6. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019

Duties

• This position is assigned to the Dayton VA Medical Center - Primary Care Service - and is responsible for administrative/clerical duties in support of patient care including the implementation and sustainment of the VHA Primary Care Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) initiative
• Principle Duties & Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following: Incumbent provides outstanding customer service on a routine basis by actively listening to customers with respect and concern
• pays attention to details of the customer's needs and helps the customer arrive at a satisfactory solution in a timely manner
• The incumbent responds to inquiries from Veterans - Medical Center staff and other agencies regarding Veteran's entitlement to care
• Utilizes his/her knowledge of Primary Care clinic procedures and processes in order to accurately schedule appointments in GUI and/or VISTA in the appropriate physician/specialty clinics in accordance with existing procedures and guidelines
• Uses knowledge of Primary Care services and procedure guidelines to clearly inform our customers (orally or in writing) or be able to direct inquiries regarding services to the appropriate personnel for resolution
• Incumbent promptly answers - screens - and prioritizes telephone call in a courteous and professional manner - serving as a point of contact for patients - medical center staff and other community agencies and answers telephone calls to their assigned PACT
• Demonstrates proper telephone etiquette: answers phones with name - and provides location where call is answered
• determines priority of inquiries and either responds to and/or routes calls to appropriate individual(s) for resolution
• Effectively communicates both orally and in writing with people of various backgrounds and is responsible for accurate appointment management and the coordination of all administrative information between the professional staff - using Skype instant message system and Outlook
• MSA will also communicate with patients using secure message - mail and telephone
• MSA demonstrates ability to provide clear - understandable and correct information to internal and external customers
• Provides and accepts written and\\or oral communication to and from professional staff regarding patient concerns so that the proper resolution may be rendered for the benefit of the patient and the organization
• Completes written - fax - mail and phone requests to non-VA medical offices/facilities to secure patient treatment documents supporting expeditious patient continuity of care
• Handles all Release of Information (ROI) requests in ROI plus system by ensuring that all records request are faxed and received back in a timely manner
• Work Schedule: Full-time - 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 91503-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized