Medical Support Assistant

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Wilkes-Barre (Luzerne County); On-site; USD 31,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of Veterans Affairs in Wilkes-Barre, PA seeks a Medical Support Assistant, GS-5, to provide clerical and patient support in a VA medical facility. Duties include scheduling and coordinating appointments, collecting and updating patient information, and assisting with prescription and insurance processes under VA guidelines.

Federal benefits apply, and the position may be filled from a nationwide pool for up to 90 days after closing.

Qualifications

• Ability to operate computerized programs and systems to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical/patient information
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology to understand diagnoses and procedures
• Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting
• Ability to work independently on a wide variety of duties
• Ability to communicate effectively with internal and external customers
• Strong customer service skills to identify concerns and route appropriately

Skills

Computerized systems

Medical terminology

Appointment scheduling

Independent work

Communication

Customer service

Education

Education above high school

Two years of education above high school

Job description

Selectees from this announcement could be considered for any of the areas throughout the VISN where Medical Support Assistants are utilized. This announcement will be used to fill ANY open Medical Support Assistant vacancies for up to 90 days after closing. Applicants will be referred as vacancies become available. 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 and Education:
  • Experience. Six months experience of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position; OR,
  • Education. One year above high school; OR,
  • Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.
• English Language Proficiency: MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.j.

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).

Medical Support Assistant, G S-5

In addition to the basic requirements, you must meet the grade requirement.

• Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level. 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 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. OR,
• Education: Two years of education above high school; AND,
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Candidates must demonstrate all of 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 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

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.

Physical Requirements

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.

Resume Reminder

• 1) Job title and grade level/salary. In order to show that you meet the experience requirements, you must document grades you have held and how long you have held them;
• 2) Duties, examples for each work experience, examples of relevant experiences and accomplishments that prove you can perform the tasks at the level required for the job as stated. You must include enough detailed information to support your specialized experience;
• 3) Month, day and year start/end dates (e.g. 04/02/2019 to 04/13/2020);
• 4) Hours worked per week for all jobs listed.
• 5) Full Name and address of Employer
• 6) Name of Supervisor or Contact name
• 7) Complete phone number of Supervisor/Contact. To credit experience, you must provide demonstrated experience. Reiterated knowledge skills and abilities will not be qualifying. Narrative responses to explain tasks completed, accomplishments made, and/or specific instances where the skillset has been applied in work are recommended in the assessment questionnaire.