Medical Support Assistant

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Baton Rouge (LA); On-site; USD 32,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of Veterans Affairs in Baton Rouge seeks a Medical Support Assistant (GS-03 to GS-05) to support clinic operations. You will perform front desk duties, receive phone calls, and schedule patient appointments, ensuring accurate data entry and patient flow.

Candidates must be a U.S. citizen, hold a high school diploma or GED, and be proficient in English. Training and development to higher grades are available within the VA system.

Qualifications

• Basic knowledge of medical terminology to assist in patient care.
• Strong communication skills to interact with patients and staff.
• Ability to use office automation tools and scheduling systems.

Responsibilities

• Answer phones and greet patients in a clinic setting.
• Schedule, reschedule, and manage patient appointments.
• Review patient records for necessary information and verify demographics and insurance.

Skills

Customer service

Medical terminology

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Job description

Basic Requirements

• United States 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 and Education.
  • (1) Experience. No experience required
  • (2) Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• Certification. None required.
• English Language Proficiency. Medical Support Assistants 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

In addition to the Basic Requirements, your resume must demonstrate you possess the required experience necessary to possess the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) required for each grade level. Resume must include hours per week for work experience credit.

GS-03:

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

(b) 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.

GS-04:

(a) Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

OR,

(b) Education. One year of education above high school. Transcript must be submitted.

(c) Assignment. This is a developmental level MSA position. It is expected that MSAs at this level 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 scheduling guidelines. MSAs at this level refer all questions regarding medical attention to the appropriate health care team member.

(d) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

• 1. Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients.
• 2. Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics.
• 3. 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.
• 4. 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.

GS-05:

(a) Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

OR,

(b) Education. Two years of education above high school. Transcript must be submitted.

(c) 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.).

(d) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

• 1. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.
• 2. Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.
• 3. 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.
• 4. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
• 5. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work.
• 6. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers.

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-05. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-03 to GS-05.

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.