Medical Support Assistant

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Anthem (AZ); On-site; USD 35,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Northern Arizona VA Health Care System in Arizona seeks a Medical Support Assistant within Health Administration Service to support patients and clinical staff with front-desk activities and scheduling. The role emphasizes customer service and accurate data entry in electronic health records.

The ideal candidate will have a high school diploma, be proficient in English, and be capable of using computerized scheduling systems.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED or equivalent proficiency.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• No experience required.

Responsibilities

• Answer phones and greet patients in a clinical setting.
• Enter and retrieve patient demographics and scheduling data in electronic health records.
• Schedule, cancel, and modify appointments and relay messages to staff.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Scheduling

Data entry

Education

High school diploma / GED

Tools

EHR systems

Scheduling software

MS Office

Job description

The Northern Arizona VA Health Care System is seeking a highly energetic candidates to fill the Medical Support Assistant vacancies within Health Administration Service. Ideal candidate's resume will articulate exceptional skills in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns and ensure overall customer satisfaction and resolution, ability to operate computerized programs, and scheduling of appointments. 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:

• Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• Experience. No experience required.
• 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
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.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:

GS-05: Full PerformanceExperience:

One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

OR

Education.

Two years of education above high school.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

1. Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying information (PII) into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports.
2. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.
3. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
4. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work.
5. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers.
6. Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

Assignment.

This is the full performance level for MSAs. 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 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; 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.).

Physical Requirements:

Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment:

Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

References:

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-05.