Medical Support Assistant

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Forest Park (DE); On-site; USD 35,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Wilmington VA Medical Center in Delaware is seeking a Medical Support Assistant (MSA) to perform patient support duties in Health Administration Service across clinic/outpatient/inpatient settings. The role involves greeting patients, processing schedules, managing appointments, and handling routine inquiries.

Basic requirements include U.S. citizenship, a high school diploma or GED, and proficiency in English.

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship required; English proficiency demonstrated in speaking and writing.
• High school diploma or GED required; foreign education considered as applicable.
• No licensure required; basic medical terminology knowledge preferred.

Responsibilities

• Answer phones, greet patients, and relay messages to appropriate staff.
• Schedule, cancel, and modify patient appointments in clinical settings.
• Enter and retrieve patient demographics and scheduling information in computer systems.

Skills

Medical terminology

Customer service

EHR systems

Scheduling software

Communication

Education

High school diploma or GED

Two years of education beyond high school

Tools

Electronic Health Records (EHR)

Scheduling systems

Job description

The Wilmington VA Medical Center is recruiting for a Medical Support Assistant (MSA). The Medical Support Assistant will function in Health Administration Service. Duties may be performed in Clinic Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), Inpatient and/or Outpatient Clinic. 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

• United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.).
  • Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Experience: None.
• 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.
• Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Grade Determinations

Medical Support Assistant, GS-05

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)

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 into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, 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.

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.).

Reference

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