Advanced Medical Support Assistant

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; North Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 43,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Captain James A Lovell Federal Health Care Center is seeking an Advanced Medical Support Assistant at GS-6 level in the Group Practice Management Department. The role involves front-desk duties, scheduling, and coordinating patient care across multiple teams.

The position requires proficiency in English, strong organizational skills, and the ability to work within VA guidelines for scheduling and patient processing.

Qualifications

• Experience advising clinical staff on administrative processes.
• Ability to answer phones, greet patients, relay messages, and schedule/modify appointments.
• Demonstrated knowledge of scheduling guidelines and patient check-in procedures.

Responsibilities

• Answer phones and greet patients, relay messages to staff.
• Schedule, cancel, or reschedule appointments and consults.
• Verify provider orders and manage demographics/insurance data at check-in.
• Coordinate transfers to VA facilities or private hospitals.

Skills

Collaborate with clinicians

Prioritize and organize work

Written and verbal communication

Healthcare process knowledge

Policies and procedures knowledge

Medical Terminology

Job description

The incumbent performs as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant within the Captain James A Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) in the Group Practice Management (GPM) Department. Within one of the following sections: Centralized Scheduling (FHCC, DoD, and Mental Health Call Centers), Medical Home Port Clinics (DoD), Immunization Clinic (DoD), Referral Management, Community Care, Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (Kenosha, Evanston, and McHenry CBOCs), Clinical Support Clinics among others. 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

• Experience and Education -(1) Experience - no experience OR, (2) Education - High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency - MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.j.

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).

GRADE REQUIREMENTS:

GS-6 Advanced Medical Support Assistant

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:

Must have at least one (1) full year of experience that is directly related to the duties of a MSA and that equips you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. To be creditable, this experience must be equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-5, and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current MSA responsibilities. Experience at this level includes but is not limited to: Advising clinical staff on current administrative processes. Answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit, scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. 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 patient's 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

In addition, candidates must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines 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. 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 the patient flow, and patient support care 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.

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-06.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily 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.