Advanced Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

The Veterans Health Administration seeks an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) to join the Patient Administrative Support Service. This role works with the health care team to manage access to care, scheduling across clinics, and patient communications using the community care model.

GS-06 level duties include coordinating with interdisciplinary teams, maintaining clinic schedules, preparing reports, and guiding patient flow.

Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process, including scheduling across interdisciplinary care delivery and community models.
• Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures affecting patient flow and administrative functions.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology used by clinicians.
• Ability to collaborate with a wide range of medical clinicians to meet team goals.
• Ability to set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines.
• Ability to communicate effectively with internal and external customers.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate clinic appointment availability and adjust schedules to meet patient needs.
• Provide advanced administrative support within an interdisciplinary coordinated care model.
• Recommend changes to clinic procedures based on guidelines.
• Utilize advanced patient systems to support multiple clinics.
• Maintain effective communication with care teams, VA centers, and external agencies.

Skills

Care coordination

Policy knowledge

Medical terminology

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Priority setting

Communication skills

Education

High school diploma

Job description

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) position is organizationally aligned under the Patient Administrative Support Service within the Business Administration Service. The position is expected to work closely with all members of the health care team and will receive program direction and guidance from the team's leadership (i.e., MSA Supervisor, section chief, service chief, etc.).

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: None.
• Education: High school diploma; General Education Development equivalency certificate or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• Licensure/Certification /Registration: None
• Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials.
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service, for requirements.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38U.S.C.§7403(f). 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 Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for placement at grade levels specified. Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-06: Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

• 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.
• 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.

Assignment:

• For all assignments above the FPLs, 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 levels, 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 patients' interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies (e.g., assist with communicatio