Advanced Medical Support Assistant

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Monroeville (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Federal holidays

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh VA Medical Center-Monroeville VA Clinic is hiring an Advanced Medical Support Assistant for Primary Care.

The AMSA will schedule appointments, answer clinic phones, check Veterans in and out, and direct visitors, contributing to efficient patient flow and coordinated care. Applicants should have a HS diploma or equivalent, English proficiency, and meet GS-6 requirements with relevant experience.

Qualifications

• United States citizenship required or VA policy allows non-citizens only when qualified citizens cannot be recruited
• Education: HS diploma or GED or equivalent certification
• English proficiency in speaking and writing per 38 USC
• Specialized experience for GS-6: 1 year at GS-5 level
• MSA duties include scheduling, greeting, relaying messages, and scheduling according to VA guidelines
• Demonstrated KSAs: collaboration, prioritization, communication, and knowledge of care delivery processes

Responsibilities

• Schedule and manage patient appointments across clinics and settings
• Answer phones and greet patients in person
• Enter and verify provider orders in scheduling systems
• Coordinate transfers and determine appointment types based on eligibility
• Maintain demographics and insurance information at check-in

Skills

Team collaboration

Prioritization

Communication

Interdisciplinary care

HIPAA knowledge

Education

High school diploma or GED

Tools

EMR systems

Job description

Summary

The Pittsburgh VA Medical Center-Monroeville VA Clinic is recruiting for an Advanced Medical Support Assistant position in Primary Care. The AMSA is responsible for scheduling and managing patient appointments - answering clinic phones - checking Veterans in and out for appointments - and directing all Veterans and visitors to the building.

Qualifications

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
• Education: High school diploma - General Education Development equivalency certificate - or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoke and written English in accordance with 38 USC
• 7403(f)
• Grade Determinations: Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) - GS-6. In addition to the basic requirements - you must meet the specialized experience for the grade: Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level
• (At this level - the MSA independently performs a full range of duties related to the delivery of healthcare services in an inpatient or outpatient setting
• Advises clinical staff on current administrative processes
• The MSA is responsible for answering phones - greeting patients - relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit - 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 - re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults
• entering no-show information
• monitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sources
• participating in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinic - monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments in areas of responsibility
• verifying and updating demographics and insurance information when patients check-in for appointments
• Coordinates administrative functions relating to emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals and determines appointment type based on the patient's eligibility status (i.e. - TRICARE - sharing agreements - collaterals - research patient - VA employee - etc.)
• AND 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
• 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)
• 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 GS-6. Physical Requirements: Work is performed in an office setting and is primarily sedentary
• May require lifting and carrying of light loads (e.g.files - records etc.)
• See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Duties

• VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo The Advanced MSA provides 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
• Some of the major duties of this position include - and are not limited to: Experience in medical or administrative support within a healthcare setting Proficiency with electronic medical records (EMR) systems for scheduling - documentation - and care coordination Strong communication skills with the ability to engage compassionately with patients and families Knowledge of clinical terminology - referral processes - and confidentiality regulations (e.g. - HIPAA) Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced - high-volume environment Experience with patient flow - appointment coordination - and interdisciplinary team collaboration Skills in de-escalation - triage - and handling sensitive or complex situations Experience working with veterans or individuals with complex psychosocial needs preferred Familiarity with VA policies and procedures is a plus Answering phones - greeting patients - relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit
• Manage scheduling menus in VISTA to schedule appointments in GUI - ISS and other specialized scheduling programs Entering no-show information Work Schedule: 7:30am-4:00pm - Monday to Friday Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm - Monday to Friday Recruitment Incentive (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)Selected applicants 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: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized