Medical Support Assistant

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Birmingham (AL); On-site; USD 36,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Birmingham, AL is seeking a Medical Support Assistant to support Access & Office of Community Care (AOCC) service line.

The role involves coordinating patient care between the Birmingham VA Medical Center and non-VA providers and handling front-desk and scheduling duties. The MSA will work under supervision at entry level and grow to full performance with increasing responsibilities, including appointment processing, patient communication, and data entry in

Qualifications

• Six months of clerical/office experience or equivalent.
• English language proficiency as per VA standards.
• Ability to learn medical terminology for patient care.
• Ability to operate computer systems and data entry.

Responsibilities

• Assist with scheduling and coordinating patient appointments.
• Process consults and coordinate with community care providers.
• Manage patient data in electronic health records and scheduling systems.
• Respond to veterans' inquiries and verify demographics/insurance.

Skills

Clerical experience

Customer service

Communication skills

Education

High school or higher

Tools

Office software

Job description

Summary

The employee is responsible for initiating and carrying out a variety of administrative and technical duties in support of the Access & Office of Community Care (AOCC) Service Line. The employee's primary duties include ensuring smooth administrative coordination of patient care and appointments - along with managing logistics related to Veteran community care. This involves facilitating the coordination of care between the Birmingham VA Medical Center (VAMC) and non-VA providers.

Qualifications

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• Experience: Six months experience in clerical - office or other work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position
• OR - Education: One year above high school
• OR combination of experience and education for entry level
• 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 3j
• Grade Determinations: In addition to basic requirements listed above - the following education and experience criteria must be met when determining candidate grades
• Candidates must demonstrate all Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSA's) according to grade level
• Current VHA employees may qualify by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation
• GS-3: Experience or Education
• None beyond the basic requirements
• Assignment
• This is an entry level MSA position
• MSAs at this level receive guidance from more experienced staff members and require frequent and direct supervision
• 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 annotates patient records
• They perform front desk duties - receive telephone calls 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
• Demonstrated KSA's
• Ability to meet - communicate - and interact with individuals in a courteous and helpful manner in order to give instructions and arrange appointments
• Ability to utilize computer systems to enter administrative data in patient systems
• Ability to learn and utilize basic medical terminology to record patient messages and physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care
• GS-4: Experience
• One year of experience in clerical - office - customer service - or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position
• OR - Education
• Two years of education above high school
• 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 VHA national scheduling guidelines
• MSAs at this level refer all questions regarding medical attention to the appropriate health care team member
• Demonstrated KSA's
• 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 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 Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics
• GS-5: Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level
• OR - Education
• Four years of education above high school
• 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 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.)
• Demonstrated KSA's
• Ability to operate computerized programs and systems to enter - modify - and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying information (PII) into or from electronic health records - scheduling systems - and/or reports
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients
• Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting
• Ability to work independently to accomplish a wide variety of duties performing patient support work
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person - electronically - and/or by telephone - with internal and external customers
• Skill in customer service - ability to identify customer concerns and refer to the appropriate staff - as necessary - to ensure a satisfactory resolution
• Creditable Experience (1) Knowledge of MSA Practices
• To be creditable - experience must have demonstrated the KSAs associated with current MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting
• Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid/non-paid employment as an MSA or an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting
• (2) Quality of Experience
• Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting at the next lower grade level
• For all assignments above the full performance level - the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope - administrative independence - complexity (difficulty) - and range of varieties described at the specified grade level and performed at least 25% of the time
• (3) Part-Time Experience
• Part-time experience as an MSA or equivalent administrative patient support in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek
• For example - an MSA employed 20 hours a week - or on a 1/2-time basis - would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service.

Duties

• VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Functions/Scope of Duties: The employee with direct supervision - collaborates - communicates - follows set priorities - and organizes assigned work to meet deadlines - ensuring compliance with established processes - policies and regulations
• Employee must possess the ability to communicate tactfully and effectively - both orally and in writing - to meet program objectives
• The employee must be knowledgeable of the technical health care process as it relates to access to care
• be able to communicate with Community Care providers to verify they accept VA patients and payments
• The employee must be able to process consults following Office of Community Care procedures and guidelines and adhering to VHA Directive 1232 - the Field Guidebook - Consult Business Rules SOP - Consult Timeliness SOP - and Minimum Scheduling Efforts SOP
• The employee is responsible for contacting Veterans by telephone to validate consult requests and coordinates appointments with community providers based on the Veteran's preference - as appropriate
• The employee demonstrates the ability to contact Veterans by telephone to validate consult requests and coordinates appointments with community providers based on the Veteran's preference - as appropriate
• The employee is required to demonstrate the ability to use computers to perform a wide variety of recordkeeping - correspondence - tracking operations - managing veteran's PHI/PII in VHA databases or records
• The employee must demonstrate knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians
• supports patient safety standards by following the VA's policy to use two forms of identification-specifically - the patient's name and Social Security Number (SSN) which is designed to ensure that the correct patient is being treated
• The employee must verify patient demographic information is accurate and up to date as it is crucial for effective communication and care coordination
• frequent validation and updates help in reducing the incidence of returned mail and unsuccessful contact attempts - thereby improving overall patient safety and satisfaction
• Work Schedule: Days - Exact hours determined by supervisor Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Ad-Hoc Only Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 521-59901F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized