Advanced Medical Support Assistant (Enrollment & Eligibility Office)

US Department of Veterans Affairs; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of Veterans Affairs in Charlotte, NC seeks an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) to determine eligibility for VA healthcare benefits and support patient enrollment. The role includes interviewing patients, collecting demographic data, and entering insurance and income information into the VA systems.

Applicants must meet basic requirements, with opportunities to work across interdisciplinary teams to ensure timely access to care.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED or equivalent required.
• U.S. citizenship required.
• Experience not required.
• Licensure/certification not required.

Responsibilities

• Determine eligibility and entitlement to VA healthcare benefits.
• Interview patients applying for medical benefits.
• Enter demographic, insurance, and income information into the system.
• Coordinate with the care team to support access to care.

Skills

Medical terminology

Interdisciplinary coordination

Healthcare access processes

Communication across clinicians

Prioritizing and organizing work

Report writing and data presentation

Education

High school diploma / GED

Tools

MyHealthyVet

Job description

This position serves as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) in the Health Benefits/ Eligibility and Enrollment Office at the Charlotte HCC and is primarily responsible for determining eligibility and entitlement to VA healthcare benefits to include interviewing patients applying for medical benefits. Patient applications may be received in person, by telephone, mail or online. Incumbent is responsible for entering demographic data, insurance, and income information. 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

• (A) Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.g.).
• (B). Experience. None
• (C). Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• (D). Licensure/Certification/Registration. None.
• (E). Grandfathering Provision. Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held, including positive education and registration/certification where applicable.

For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply:

• (1) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
• (2) Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.

Grade Determinations

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-6

Experience

One year of experience equivalent to the [GS-5] grade level

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• (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.

Assignment

For all assignments above the FPL, 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 level, 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 patient, 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, plan, 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 into the electronic record; monitors pre-appointment information 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 6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS 6.

Physical Requirements

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. This is mostly a sedentary position. There was be some light lifting up to 25lbs, bending, standing, stooping, walking. This position will require you to work in from of a computer screen for 90% of your day.