Medical Support Assistant

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Lexington (KY); On-site; USD 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Federal holidays

Parental leave

Federal retirement plan

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Lexington, KY is seeking a Medical Support Assistant to support the Patient Support Section.

At a two-divisional teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Kentucky Medical Center, you may work in the Cooper or Leestown divisions as an inpatient Health Unit Coordinator or in the Cooper Division ED. Responsibilities include scheduling appointments, updating demographics and insurance data, assisting clinicians with patient flow, and coordinating

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required; alternative: two years of higher education.
• Proven ability to schedule appointments and reschedule as needed.
• Experience with updating patient demographics and insurance information.

Responsibilities

• Schedule and manage patient appointments and referrals.
• Assist clinicians with patient flow in ED and inpatient units.
• Update and verify demographics, contact and insurance data in EHR systems.
• Coordinate and communicate with internal and external customers.
• Support admissions, transfers, and billing-related tasks.

Skills

Scheduling

Customer service

Communication

Medical terminology

Electronic health records

Clerical tasks

Education

High school diploma / GED

Two years of education above high school

Job description

Summary

Incumbent serves as a Medical Support Assistant in the Patient Support Section of Health Administration Service in Lexington - Kentucky. This assignment is at a two-divisional teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Kentucky Medical Center at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Lexington - KY. Incumbent will be assigned to the Cooper or Leestown Division as an inpatient Health Unit Coordinator or at the Cooper Division in the Emergency Department.

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

• Citizenship
• Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.)
• Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C.
• 7407(a)
• 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
• Physical Requirements
• See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements
• English Language Proficiency
• Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C.
• 7403(f)
• 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: GS-5 Medical Support Assistant (Full Performance Level) To qualify at this level - candidates must have: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level
• Examples of credible experience 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 policy 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 we-based applications to collect and verify insurance data
• obtaining medical information from patients
• coordinating information and actions related to patient care and services
• and scheduling appointments in accordance with national scheduling guidelines
• OR Education: Two years of education above high school 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
• Note: You must provide detailed information of your experience performed
• Information such as "I was a Medical Support Assistant" is insufficient to determine your qualifications
• Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title - duties - month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week
• Preferred Experience: Medical terminology - scheduling 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-05
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-05
• Physical Requirements: The work is mainly sedentary but requires some bending - walking - standing and the carrying of such things as patient records - supplies and inter-office mail
• See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.

Duties

• VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo The MSA is responsible for 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's appointments and/or consults
• preparing for clinic visits
• monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility
• admitting patients to the facility using ADT entry
• utilizing the ED tracker and bed management system
• ensuring encounter forms are completed in order to obtain appropriate workload credit
• verifying and updating demographics and insurance information
• processing all emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals
• performing basic eligibility - co-pays and preauthorization requirements for specific coverage
• Supporting the clinicians in coordinating and assisting with the appropriate patient flow in the emergency department - and the inpatient units
• Work Schedule: 7:30am - 4:30pm or 3:30pm - 12:00am with rotating weekends and holidays
• Schedule may vary based on patient volume and needs of service
• Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 31407F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases 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)