Medical Support Assistant

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 41,000 - 51,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeks Medical Support Assistants at GS-3/4/5 for Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA campuses. Entry-level to full performance roles involve clerical support, patient data handling, and scheduling under VHA guidelines.

Candidates must meet basic VA requirements; success depends on accuracy, patient interaction, and teamwork within a federal health system environment.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• KSA: ability to communicate with diverse individuals and health care team members.
• Proficiency with office automation, scheduling, and medical terminology.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative support to clinicians and patients.
• Schedule appointments and manage clinic workflow per VHA guidelines.
• Process transfers and verify insurance information.
• Maintain patient charts and administrative records.

Skills

Diverse communication

Office software

Medical terminology

Patient data entry

Customer service

Education

High school diploma or GED

State/provincial proficiency certificate

Tools

ICB system

Electronic health records

Scheduling systems

Phone/office tech

Job description

Summary

VA Portland Health Care Systems is looking to fill Medical Support Assistants at the GS 3/4/5 level at the main campus location in Portland - Oregon and the VA Hospital located in Vancouver - Washington. The list generated from this announcement can be used for up to 90 days.

Qualifications

Qualifications: To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement

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 Proficient
• Experience: No experience required 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 MSA (Entry Level) Experience or Education
• None beyond the basic requirements
• GS-4 MSA (Developmental Level) Experience
• One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-3)
• OR Education: One year of education above high school
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• Candidates must demonstrate the KSAs below: 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
• 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
• GS-5 MSA (Full Performance Level) Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-4) OR Education: Two years of education above high school
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• Candidates must demonstrate the KSAs below: 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
• Advanced knowledge of basic medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients
• 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
• Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns and refer to the appropriate staff - as necessary - to ensure a satisfactory resolution
• References: VA Handbook 5005/117 - Medical Support Assistant Qualification Standard - GS-679
• 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-3 to GS-5. Physical Requirements: The work is mostly sedentary but may require periods of standing or walking however - there are no physical requirements for the 0679 Medical Support Assistant occupation.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties: Medical Support Assistants provide administrative support to our clinical colleagues in the care of our Nation's Veterans
• Our mission is to provide efficient and effective healthcare services by promoting and enabling the delivery of timely - accurate - accessible health care
• VA is committed to cultivating a dedicated workforce of highly skilled employees who understand - believe in - and take pride in VA's mission
• MSAs are essential to the success of this mission and may be assigned to many areas of the medical center
• GS-3 Level: This is the entry level of the position
• GS 3 salary starts at $40 -512/year
• The MSA will receive more frequent guidance from experienced MSAs to: interacting with both internal and external customers
• establishing and maintaining medical outpatient and inpatient charts 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
• GS-4 Level: This is a developmental level MSA position
• GS 4 salary starts at $45 -476/year
• It is expected that MSAs will receive guidance from more experienced staff members for more difficult tasks and require frequent and direct contact from the assigned lead and/or supervisor
• Assignments at this level include but are not limited to: interacting with both internal and external customers
• establishing and maintaining medical outpatient and inpatient charts 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
• The MSA refers all questions requiring immediate medical attention to appropriate health care team member
• GS-5 Level: This is the full performance level MSA position
• GS 5 salary starts at $50 -880/year
• 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
• entering no-show information
• monitoring the electronic wait list
• preparing for clinic visits
• monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility
• 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
• Work Schedule: Typical tour of duty is Monday - Friday 0800-1630
• Available tours will be discussed during the interview process
• Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not AuthorizedPay: 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 #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized