Medical Support Assistant (Adv

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) is stationed in the Emergency Department and provides expert administrative patient support while collaborating within an interdisciplinary care delivery team to deliver optimal care for acutely ill patients or those needing post-operative care.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED or equivalent required.
• U.S. citizenship required.
• No prior experience required.
• Must document experience with job duties including title, duties, dates and hours worked.

Responsibilities

• Assist with scheduling and coordinating patient appointments and transfers.
• Enter and verify patient demographics and insurance information at check-in.
• Monitor and manage appointment requests from multiple electronic sources.
• Coordinate administrative functions related to emergency and non-emergency transfers to other facilities.
• Assist in maintaining accurate records and provide patient support as part of a care delivery team.

Skills

Scheduling systems

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Communication skills

Record keeping

Education

High school diploma or GED

Job description

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) is located in the Emergency Department. The AMSA provides expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary care delivery model (a team comprised of doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, dieticians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, social work) which provides optimal care to acutely ill patients or those requiring post-operative care. 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

• Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• 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.
• 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.

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.

Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.

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).

Grade Determinations: GS-06 Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

In addition to the basic requirements, you must meet the following grade requirements. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. Examples of credible experience 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 clinical/medical facilities or private hospitals and determines appointment type based on the patient's eligibility status.

AND

Candidates must also demonstrate the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) below

1. Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process (including, but not limited to, scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community models and patient health care portals) as it relates to access to care.
2. Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community operational activities that affect patient flow, and patient support care administrative functions to include, but not limited to appointment cycles, outside patient referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, provider availability, etc.
3. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.
4. Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines (e.g., medical doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, clinical pharmacists, and nursing staff) to accomplish team goal setting to ensure medical care to patients is met.
5. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
6. Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively, electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing, with internal and external customers. This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient concerns.

Note: You must provide detailed information of your experience performed. Information such as "I was a Medical Support Assistant" is insufficient to determine your qualifications. Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week.

Preferred Experience

Previous experience as a medical support assistant, working in a call center and/or performing administrative health care functions.

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-06

Physical Requirements: The position involves work that is mainly sedentary but requires some bending, walking, standing and lifting/carrying (under 15 LB) of supplies, patient records, staff and patient mail. Some assignments may involve more frequent walking, but these assignments require no unusual physical demands to perform work.