Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration; Wilmington (DE); On-site; USD 32,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

The Veterans Health Administration at the Wilmington VA Medical Center is seeking a Medical Support Assistant (MSA) to support Health Administration Service. Duties include front desk reception, scheduling, and coordinating patient data across clinic and inpatient/outpatient settings.

The MSA will assist in verifying demographics and insurance information, processing physician scheduling requests, and handling patient communications with courteous, professional service.

Qualifications

• Must have high school diploma or equivalent.
• English language proficiency per VA standards.
• Citizenship requirement: U.S. citizen or eligible for grandfathering provisions.
• Experience with scheduling and patient data systems.

Responsibilities

• Answer phones and greet patients at the front desk.
• Schedule and reschedule appointments.
• Review patient records and demographics.
• Assist with insurance verification and data entry.
• Coordinate physician scheduling and clerical orders.

Skills

Basic medical terminology

Patient data systems

Front desk communication

Interacting with diverse patients

Education

High school diploma / GED

Tools

Office automation software

Scheduling systems

Job description

The Wilmington VA Medical Center is recruiting for a Medical Support Assistant (MSA). The Medical Support Assistant will function in Health Administration Service. Duties may be performed in Clinic Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), Inpatient and/or Outpatient Clinic.

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: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. 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. 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).

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. For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply: Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

Grade Determinations

Medical Support Assistant, GS-03

Assignment: Employees at this grade level serve in a MSA entry-level developmental 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.

Medical Support Assistant, GS-04

Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade. OR, Education: One year of education above high school. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

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.

Assignment: This is a developmental level MSA position. It is expected that 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 b