Medical Support Assistant

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Huntsville (AL); Sur place; USD 38 000 - 48 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Birmingham VA Medical Center in Alabama is seeking a Medical Support Assistant at the GS-5 level.

The role supports inpatient and outpatient services, handling clerical duties, scheduling, and coordination of care within a high-volume clinical environment. Primary responsibilities include assisting clinical staff, managing patient information in electronic records, and coordinating admissions, discharges, and transfers.

Qualifications

• High school diploma, GED, or equivalent/proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• English language proficiency in speaking and writing.
• No previous experience required; entry level GS-5 with potential for progression.
• Grandfathering provision may apply for current VA employees in this occupation.

Responsabilités

• Performs a variety of clerical duties in wards/units that provide medical/surgical services.
• Manages administrative processes for admission, discharge and general operations for the assigned unit.
• Verifies all orders and notifies the assigned RN of NOW or STAT orders.
• Provides medical administrative support to inpatient wards, including palliative care and ICU units.
• Coordinates discharge appointments and transportation; verifies orders and prepares documents.
• Ensures proper coordination of administrative information between staff and patients.
• Schedules and coordinates appointments and transfers.

Connaissances

Medical terminology

Customer service

Electronic health records

Scheduling

Communication

Formation

High school diploma or equivalent

Description du poste

Summary

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.

Summary

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.

Qualifications

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
• 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: 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.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties include - however - not limited to: Performs a variety of clerical duties in one or more wards/units that provide a variety of medical/surgical services
• Has knowledge of in-patient procedures and regulations
• basic medical terminology - skill in operating computer systems and applications
• Is responsible for managing administrative processes for admission - discharge and general operations for the assigned unit(s)
• Verifies all orders and notifies the assigned RN of any NOW or STAT order immediately
• Ensures phone calls for critical patient information are routed immediately to the assigned RN - charge nurse or supervisor immediately
• Provides medical administrative support to several in-patient wards - including medical and surgical units - palliative care unit and intensive care units and is an integral member of the inpatient team to effectively carry out day-to-day administrative operations
• Is responsible for accurate coordination of all administrative information between the professional staff and the patient
• Ensures that discharge appointments are scheduled - manages transportation - verifies orders - providing all needed documents
• admitting - discharging - transferring and managing administrative processes of observation patients
• Works collaboratively with unit staff - bed management - environmental services and other partners to ensure optimal bed flow
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00AM - 4:30PM 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: Not Available
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 62510F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.