Medical Support Assistant

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Wilmington (DE); On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off

Federal retirement benefits

Federal health/vision/dental benefits

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Wilmington is seeking a Medical Support Assistant (MSA) to support Health Administration Services. Duties may occur in Clinic Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) or inpatient/outpatient settings.

The MSA is an entry-level, developmental position focusing on scheduling, patient intake, and information processing within the VA system.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Experience not required; development level position possible.

Responsibilities

• Answer phones and greet patients.
• Schedule and reschedule appointments.
• Verify patient demographics and insurance information.
• Enter and retrieve data in electronic health records and scheduling systems.
• Coordinate transfers to VA facilities or private hospitals.
• Assist with clinic operations and provide patient information as needed.

Skills

Customer service

Interpersonal communication

Administrative support

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Job description

Summary

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.

Summary

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.

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: 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)
• Grade Determinations: Medical Support Assistant - GS-05: Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade
• 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 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
• OR - Education: Two years of education above high school
• In addition to the experience or education above - the candidate must demonstrate the following 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 into or from electronic health records - scheduling systems - 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
• Assignment: This is the full performance level for MSAs
• At this level - 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.)
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The incumbent performs duties related to the receipt - intake - and indexing of health and administrative information
• The incumbent will interface with personal computer (PC) applications as well as numerous Vista applications
• The MSA performs clerical work in support of the care and treatment given to patients
• Duties may be performed in Clinic Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) - Inpatient and/or Outpatient Clinic
• Duties of a Medical Support Assistant include but are not limited to: Scheduling - canceling - re-scheduling patient's appointments - recalls - Return to Clinic (RTC) and/or consults
• Answering phones
• Monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility
• Verifying and updating demographics and insurance information
• Processing all emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals
• Ensuring encounter forms are completed in order to obtain appropriate workload credit
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00 a.m
• - 4:30 p.m
• Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
• Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
• 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 #: 05844F - 05845F - 05848F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
• PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized.