Medical Support Assistant

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Birmingham VA Medical Center in Huntsville, AL is seeking a Medical Support Assistant (GS-5) to join its outpatient and inpatient care teams. The role includes greeting patients, answering phones, scheduling appointments, and coordinating transfers and messages with clinical staff.

Excellent communication, patient-service orientation, and basic knowledge of medical terminology and electronic health records are essential. The position is full-time, federal benefits, and requires U.S.

Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology sufficient to understand diagnoses and procedures.
• Customer service skills with ability to identify concerns and refer to staff.
• Ability to use computerized systems to enter and retrieve patient data (PII) and schedules.
• Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
• Ability to work independently in patient support duties.
• Ability to communicate effectively with internal and external customers.

Responsibilities

• Answer phones, greet patients, and relay messages to appropriate staff.
• Schedule, cancel, and reschedule patient appointments and consults.
• Enter and verify demographics and insurance information at check-in.
• Coordinate transfers to VA facilities or private hospitals as needed.
• Monitor appointment requests from multiple electronic sources and assist with no-shows.

Skills

Medical terminology

Customer service

EMR/EHR systems

Scheduling appointments

Communication

Education

High school diploma or GED

Tools

EMR/EHR software

Scheduling software

Job description

The Birmingham VA Medical Center operates a 139-bed tertiary care teaching hospital and is dedicated to providing the highest quality of patient care to Veterans in Alabama. The Medical Center provides comprehensive health care through primary care and tertiary care in areas of medicine, surgery, psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, oncology, dentistry, geriatrics, blind rehabilitation and is a recognized leader in palliative care and multiple sclerosis. 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: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• 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.

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 for employment, candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for placement at grade levels specified.

Medical Support Assistant, GS-05.

Experience or Education.

Experience.

OR

Education.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs).

• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.
• Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.
• 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.
• Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
• Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of 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.

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 8 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/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-5.

Physical Requirements:

The work of this position is primarily sedentary in an office setting, primarily while seated working closely with others or alone. There may be some walking, standing, bending, kneeling, lifting no more than 35 pounds, and reaching above shoulder.