Medical Support Assistant

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Marion (IL); On-site; USD 37,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Marion, IL is seeking a Medical Support Assistant in Nursing Operations Medical/Specialty. The role supports patient care by performing front desk duties, scheduling appointments, and handling patient information within electronic health records.

Responsibilities include coordinating with clinical staff, verifying insurance, and maintaining accurate patient data while providing courteous service to diverse patients in a busy VA clinic setting.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required; may qualify under grandfathering provisions.
• GS-5 level requires one year of experience or two years of education beyond high school; relevant KSAs must be demonstrated.
• Ability to use office automation and scheduling systems; proficiency in English is required.

Responsibilities

• Answer phones and greet patients at the front desk.
• Schedule, reschedule, and coordinate patient appointments.
• Review patient records and verify demographics and insurance information.
• Enter and retrieve patient data in electronic health records and related systems.

Skills

Medical terminology

Customer service

Scheduling appointments

Communication skills

Office software

Record patient messages

Education

High school diploma or GED

One year education beyond high school

Tools

Electronic health records

Insurance systems

Scheduling software

Job description

Summary

The Marion - IL VAMC is accepting applications for a Medical Support Assistant with Nursing Operations Medical/Specialty. This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information - refer to Required Documents below.

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)
• You MUST meet the education described below to meet the BASIC qualifications for this position: 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: GS-3 Medical Support Assistant (Full Performance Level)In addition to the basic requirements listed above - applicants at the GS-3 grade level must also meet the following requirements: Experience or Education: Candidates must meet the basic requirement for experience/education GS-4 MSA (Full Performance Level)In addition to the basic requirements listed above - applicants at the GS-4 grade level must also meet the following requirements: Experience: One-year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-3)
• OR - Education: one years of education above high school
• AND In addition to the experience/education - your resume MUST demonstrate all the below Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs)
• Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients
• Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics
• Ability to meet - communicate - and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and other health care team members in a courteous and helpful manner in order to facilitate medical care for patients
• Ability to use - and navigate between - various types of office automation equipment and software (i.e. - computer systems - web-based scheduling programs insurance collection system scanning software - multiple line phone systems electronic faxing programs) to support patient care
• We cannot assume anything
• If you would like credit for your experience - please make sure you list the Job Title - dates of employment - work schedule (full-time or part-time or list number of hours) - and a complete list of the duties you performed for each job
• GS-5 MSA (Full Performance Level)In addition to the basic requirements listed above - applicants at the GS-5 grade level must also meet the following requirements: Experience: One-year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-4)
• OR - Education: two years of education above high school
• AND In addition to the experience/education - your resume MUST demonstrate all the below 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
• We cannot assume anything
• If you would like credit for your experience - please make sure you list the Job Title - dates of employment - work schedule (full‑time or part‑time or list number of hours) - and a complete list of the duties you performed for each job
• Preferred Experience: i
• Ability to meet - communicate - and interact with individuals in a courteous and helpful manner in order to give instructions and arrange appointments
• ii
• Ability to utilize computer systems to enter administrative data in patient systems
• iii
• Ability to learn and utilize basic medical terminology to record patient messages and physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care
• 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 in the range of GS-03 to GS-05
• Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary
• Typically - the MSA sits comfortably to do the work
• However - there may be some walking - standing - bending - carrying of light items - etc
• The position requires clear and timely communication via telephone - instant message - email - electronic and paper correspondence.

Duties

• VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The incumbent serves as a Medical Support Assistant (MSA) GS-03 This is an entry level MSA position
• It is expected that MSAs at this level will receive guidance from more experienced staff members and require frequent and direct supervision
• At this level - MSAs apply general rules and policies relating to clinic functions - staff - and automated data processing methods in support of treatment to patients
• They utilize a variety of patient data systems in scheduling patients for treatment and annotate patient records
• They perform front desk duties - receive telephone call - and visitors to the MSA unit
• They make and cancel appointments - review patient records for necessary information - and review patient demographics and insurance verification
• They consult with clinic staff when processing physician scheduling and administrative orders
• GS-04 A MSAs at this level will receive minor and less frequent guidance from higher experienced staff members for more difficult tasks
• Assignments 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 VA Handbook 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 the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) system
• obtaining medical information from patients
• coordinating information and actions related to patient care and services
• and scheduling appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines
• MSAs at this level refer all questions regarding medical attention to the appropriate health care team member
• GS-05 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.)
• Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm Monday-Friday Telework: Authorized - on a AdHoc basis only Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized