Advanced Medical Support Assistant

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeks an Advanced Medical Support Assistant to support physicians, nurses and care teams with scheduling and patient flow. You will verify demographics, prepare for visits and manage records from outside care using VA systems.

The role requires strong communication, attention to detail and the ability to coordinate across disciplines. Office hours are standard; telework is not available.

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship required; non-citizens may be appointed only when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Education: High school diploma or GED or equivalent.
• GS-06 level requires one year of creditable experience or equivalent.
• KSAs must be demonstrated in the resume and supportive documentation.
• Advanced knowledge of healthcare processes and patient flow across care settings.

Responsibilities

• Support scheduling, patient flow, and coordination across care teams.
• Verify and update patient demographics and eligibility in VA systems.
• Process records from outside care and obtain copies of forms as needed.
• Use VA scheduling software (ISS, CPRS, VistA GUI) to set appointments.
• Notify patients 24 hours prior and update appointment statuses as required.
• Provide front-desk and administrative coverage as needed to maintain operations.

Skills

Communication skills

Interdisciplinary collaboration

EHR proficiency

Scheduling & coordination

Attention to detail

Time management

Customer service

Education

High school diploma or GED

Job description

Summary

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (A/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. A/MSAs are considered chief sources of patient care and patient flow information. The A/MSA is a key member of the patient care team providing crucial administrative advice and guidance.

Summary

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (A/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. A/MSAs are considered chief sources of patient care and patient flow information. The A/MSA is a key member of the patient care team providing crucial administrative advice and guidance.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.)
• Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C.
• 7407(a)
• Experience: none Education: High school diploma - General Education Development equivalency certificate - or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education
• Grade Determination: Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) - GS-06 Experience
• One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS5-Full Performance)
• Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate - in their resume - the following KSAs: a
• 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
• b
• 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
• c
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians
• d
• 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
• e
• Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines - ensuring compliance with established processes - policies - and regulations
• f
• 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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Grandfathering Provision: 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)
• Physical requirements: The work is sedentary
• Typically - the employee sits comfortably to do the work
• However - there may be some walking - standing - bending - carrying of light items such as papers - books - small parts - or driving an automobile - etc
• No special physical demands are required to perform the work.

Duties

• VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo The Advanced MSA supports the Facility with ongoing management of contacting veterans and their caregivers for scheduling - canceling - and re-scheduling appointments and/or consults
• entering no-show information
• preparing for clinic visits
• verifying and updating demographics and insurance information
• processing records from outside medical care - and obtaining copies of form DD214 (Report of Military Separation) as needed for eligibility and benefit determination
• Day to day tasks include - but may not be limited to: a
• Knowledgeably utilizes VA scheduling software including the Electronic Health Record - ISS - VS GUI and Virtual Care Manager in establishing patient appointments within the appropriate desired date
• b
• Adheres to scheduling protocol on patient outreach attempts and ensures appointments entered in ISS are accurately reflected in CPRS
• c
• Appointments are cancelled/rescheduled according to established protocols and informational note is entered in CPRS
• d
• Patients receive a call 24-hours in advance and are reminded of scheduled appointments
• e
• Verifies and updates demographic and eligibility information in computer systems
• f
• Refers all questions requiring immediate medical or clinical attention to the appropriate health care team member
• The incumbent utilizes various reports to complete assigned tasks - such as EARR (Error Action Required report) - 1st time appointment reports - consults due reports - and other national - VISN - and locally developed reports
• Additional day to day tasks includes - but may not be limited to: a
• Assists in the update - development - and maintenance of program materials - packets - and other printed materials
• b
• Assists with the orientation/on the job training of new staff
• c
• Completes work orders and contacts appropriate staff when requested to support the environment of care
• d
• Prepares correspondence to support the administrative functions of the assigned team
• all correspondence is neatly formatted and checked for appropriate spelling and grammar - all documents are the current version - and outgoing Certified mail meets USPS standards
• e
• Participates in scheduling/phone audits and reviews to ensure effective scheduling practices
• f
• May have other administrative duties assigned - including but not limited to records management The incumbent provides support for the Health Administration Service and also cross trained in many of the specific job functions of other support staff performing duties such as resulting consults - scanning - and providing front desk coverage
• This versatility enables the incumbent to provide cross coverage for time sensitive administrative duties needing completion when those staff with primary responsibility are unavailable
• Work Schedule: M-F 7:30am-4:00pm or 08:00- 4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 91463-VS Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Available 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)