Advanced Medical Support Assistant

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeks an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) to support patient access and administrative processes within the Patient Administrative Support Service. The role requires strong organization, clinical workflow knowledge, and collaboration with care teams.

The AMSA works under supervision to manage appointments, referrals, and patient communications, ensuring efficient clinic operations and quality patient care in a busy health system environment.

Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of the health care process and care delivery in an interdisciplinary model.
• Ability to coordinate schedules, referrals, and patient flow across clinics and community care.
• Strong verbal and written communication with internal and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative support in a front desk/catient access role within a clinic setting.
• Manage secure messaging, appointment coordination, and follow-up tasks for care teams.
• Prepare correspondence and assist with documentation in the electronic health record.

Skills

Healthcare process knowledge

Interdisciplinary care coordination

Medical terminology

Team communication

Prioritization and organization

Written communication

Education

High school diploma / GED

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

• Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-06:
  • Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
  • Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):
    • In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following 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 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.).

Other assignments at this level include but are not limited to:

• Processes incoming patient secure messaging through MyHealthyVet and coordinates with care team as appropriate; participates in team huddles and team meetings to manage plans, problem-solve, and follow up with patient care by sharing information and collaborating with the interdisciplinary team; setting priorities and deadlines, adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs; identifies incomplete encounters and communicates findings to providers; as needed; assists the team to reinforce the plan of care and self-help solutions; enters appropriate information in to the electronic record; monitors pre-appointment in formation and/or requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure; manages patient systems to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues; evaluates patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether the patient requires an immediate appointment; informs team members about shared patients (i.e., those who receive their care at multiple VA centers or those who receive care in the community).

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. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-06.

Physical Requirements

• The work is performed in an outpatient treatment setting, typically in a front desk environment, and/or call center setting.
• The environment involves those everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of this environment.
• Although the work is typically sedentary, some standing, stooping, reaching, and lifting of up to twenty (20) pounds is required.
• The duties and responsibilities of the position require some mobility between various clinic areas located in separate building locations.
• The employee is required to work with computer equipment at least 75% of the time, which impacts hand and wrist motions.
• Although the employee works in a health care facility where exposure to contagious diseases exists, the tasks required for this position do not put the employee at serious risk for this type of exposure.
• The work area is adequately lit, heated, and ventilated.
• The incumbent must always remain composed in trying to assist Veterans, their families and staff, who may be upset or in distress and hostile in manner.