Medical Support Assistant

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 34,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Medical Support Assistant to support physicians, PAs, nurses, and clinic staff at the VA Medical Center’s Business Office.

The MSA performs clerical and administrative duties and may work in the Call Center, Urgent Care, or an interdisciplinary care team on occasion. Responsibilities include scheduling appointments, managing documentation in electronic health records, handling patient inquiries, and ensuring privacy and accuracy in patient

Qualifications

• Knowledge of medical terminology and clinical workflow.
• Ability to handle patient information per privacy rules.
• Proficiency with scheduling and clerical tasks in a clinical setting.

Responsibilities

• Provide clerical and administrative support to clinicians and staff.
• Schedule patient appointments and manage referrals and tests.
• Enter and retrieve patient information in electronic systems.
• Respond to inquiries with professional, respectful communication.

Skills

Medical terminology

Customer service

Privacy and PII handling

Appointment scheduling

Independence and prioritization

Education

High school diploma/GED

Two years of higher education

Tools

Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems

Office automation software

Job description

Summary

This position is in the Business Office at the VA Medical Center. The Medical Support Assistant (MSA) is responsible for performing a variety of technical support duties that facilitate the work of physicians - physician assistants - nurses - nursing assistants - and others. The MSA performs clerical and administrative work. The incumbent may work in the Call Center - Urgent Care - or in an interdisciplinary care team within a primary care team or specialty clinic on an infrequent basis.

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
• Experience or Education
• Education
• High school diploma - General Education Development equivalency certificate - or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education
• 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)
• In addition to the experience or education above - the candidate must demonstrate - in their resume - 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 Licensure/Certification/Registration
• None
• Grade Determinations: Medical Support Assistant - GS-05
• Grandfathering Provision
• Employees in VHA in this occupation - under a permanent - appropriate - and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard - are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held - including positive education and registration/certification where applicable
• 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)
• 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 in the range of GS-5. Physical Requirements: The work is mostly sedentary
• It typically requires sitting with sustained periods of concentration
• There will be some walking - standing - bending - and carrying of relatively light objects
• The position may also require stooping - reaching - lifting - pulling - and other moderate exertion or strain
• Incumbent may occasionally have to walk some distance to a meeting.

Duties

• VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo Duties may include but are not limited to the following: Demonstrates Courtesy and Professionalism: As frontline contact with patients and staff - the MSA sets the tone for perception concerning quality of healthcare services at the VA
• A high degree of tact and diplomacy is required when dealing with veterans who have multiple health problems and who may be frustrated with the administrative process associated with diagnosis and treatment
• A caring - compassionate and sensitive manner is essential when explaining procedures to veterans and their family members both in person and on the phone
• The MSA screens/receives phone calls in a courteous and timely manner - determines the nature of request and provides the information desired using privacy rules and established clinic processes
• Consult and Appointment Management: The MSA is responsible for following through on providers' orders including scheduling appropriate consultation requests - labs - x-rays and various other specialty clinics available at the CBOC
• Incumbent will schedule all appointments with the patient's input - either in person or by phone
• This may require a high level of coordination to avoid patients having to make multiple trips to the clinic whenever possible
• Notifies supervisor when clinic access is less than desirable or if an individual patient cannot be scheduled within mandated clinic timeframes
• Daily review of active/pending consults
• Patient appointments will be scheduled in accordance with all applicable Scheduling Directives
• Appointments are entered upon receipt and entered correctly
• Correct scheduling errors within one day of receipt
• Return appointments will be scheduled before the patient leaves the check-out area and given a card or letter which details the date and time of their next appointment - if desired
• Cancel clinic availability in scheduling grids for assigned Teamlets when notified of clinician's absence
• The MSA will assist the veteran in creating a beneficiary travel request via paper form or use of the veteran kiosk
• Meets - Communicates - and Interacts
• Demonstrates ability to meet - communicate - and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and with other health care team members in order to complete job assignments
• Operates Computerized Programs
• Demonstrates ability to use various types of office automation equipment and software - to include ability to set up - organize - and maintain record systems
• Utilizes such programs and databases to make appointments in a clinical setting
• Maintains patient confidentiality with information - per HIPM requirements
• Employee Education
• Complies with Employee Education requirements by completing mandatory annual assignments through the TMS and complies with any other training or education requirements as determined by the supervisor
• Works Independently
• The MSA will work in a proficient and self-directed manner to accomplish a wide variety of tasks
• The MSA is able to independently manage position responsibilities with little supervision as well as set priorities and deadlines adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs
• Work Schedule: Day Shift Hours (Monday - Friday 7:00am - 3:30pm or 8am-4:30pm) Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Not Eligible Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 91462-XVS Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized