Medical Support Assistant

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 38,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking Medical Support Assistants at GS-3 to GS-5 levels to provide front-desk and patient support in clinical settings.

Responsibilities include scheduling appointments, processing patient information, and coordinating with medical staff while maintaining accurate records and ensuring efficient clinic operations.

Qualifications

• High school diploma, GED or proficiency certificate.
• Two years of education above high school for GS-05 eligibility.
• Knowledge of medical terminology to assist in patient care.
• Ability to schedule appointments and manage clinic workflow.
• Ability to use office software and scheduling systems.

Responsibilities

• Schedule and reschedule patient appointments for treatment.
• Answer phones, greet patients, and route inquiries.
• Review and update patient demographics and insurance verification.
• Enter, modify, and retrieve information in electronic health records.
• Coordinate administrative tasks with clinic staff and external facilities.

Skills

Medical terminology

Customer service

Office automation

Scheduling

Communication

Education

High school diploma or GED

Two years of college education

Tools

Electronic health records

Job description

The incumbent performs both routine and complex administrative and miscellaneous clerical duties as assigned with general administrative support from Prosthetic management.

Basic Requirements

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.).

Experience and Education

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.

• Documentation Requirements for Proof of High School Completion or higher:
  • If using post-high school education to substitute for experience at the GS-04 or GS-05, you must submit a copy of your unofficial or official college transcript with your application.
  • If selected, to meet the basic requirement of high school education or equivalent and prior to a firm job offer being extended, applicants must provide one of the following as verification of the education requirement if not covered under the grandfathering provision.
  • Copy of high school diploma OR high school transcript (unofficial or official) OR GED Certificate OR homeschooling completion OR proficiency certificate issued by a State or Territorial Board or Department of Education OR college transcript (official)

Certification

None required.

Grandfathering Provision

See under Education section.

Foreign Education

See under Education section.

Physical Requirements.

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.

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.

GRADE REQUIREMENTS: See under Education section.

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, GS-03.

(1) Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements.

(2) Assignment. Employees at this grade level serve in a MSA entry-level developmental position. This is an entry level MSA position. It is expected that MSAs at this level will receive guidance from more experienced staff members and require frequent and direct supervision. At this level, MSAs apply general rules and policies relating to clinic functions, staff, and automated data processing methods in support of treatment to patients. They utilize a variety of patient data systems in scheduling patients for treatment and annotate patient records. They perform front desk duties, receive telephone call, and visitors to the MSA unit. They make and cancel appointments, review patient records for necessary information, and review patient demographics and insurance verification. They consult with clinic staff when processing physician scheduling and administrative orders.

Medical Support Assistant, GS-04.

Experience or Education.

Experience.

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

Education.

One year of education above high school.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

(a) Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients.

(b) Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics.

(c) Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and other health care team members in a courteous and helpful manner in order to facilitate medical care for patients.

(d) Ability to use, and navigate between, various types of office automation equipment and software (i.e., computer systems, web based scheduling programs; insurance collection system; scanning software, multiple line phone systems; electronic faxing programs) to support patient care.

Assignment.

This is a developmental level MSA position. It is expected that MSAs at this level will receive minor and less frequent guidance from higher experienced staff members for more difficult tasks. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: scheduling and rescheduling patients for treatment; interviewing patients for appointments; referring patients to other medical specialty clinics; providing information to patients necessary to resolve VA Handbook complaints; interacting with both internal and external customers; reviewing and documenting medical outpatient and inpatient electronic health records, as well as administrative records; verifying third party insurance and updating information in the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) system; obtaining medical information from patients; coordinating information and actions related to patient care and services; and scheduling appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. MSAs at this level refer all questions regarding medical attention to the appropriate health care team member.

Medical Support Assistant, GS-05.

Experience or Education.

Experience.

One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade; OR

Education.

Two years of education above high school.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

(a) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.

(b) Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

(c) 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.

(d) Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.

(e) Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work.

(f) Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers.

(3) 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 health care 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, and scheduling appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national 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; 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 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.).

Preferred Experience: Experience in VISTA, VATAS, CPRS, ISS, CTIM

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-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-5.