Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

The Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) (AMSA) at the Central Texas VA Health Care System provides specialized and expert administrative patient support within the Surgical Care Clinical Section. This role supports the VHA Patient Centered Medical Home transformation and works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary care delivery model.

Responsibilities include scheduling, updating patient demographics, coordinating transfers, and assisting in data reporting to facilitate workload credit and

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Experience in scheduling or coordinating patient care is beneficial but not required.
• Ability to communicate with clinicians and patients clearly.

Responsibilities

• Schedule and coordinate patient appointments and transfers.
• Update demographics and insurance information at check-in.
• Support interdisciplinary care teams to ensure timely access to care.

Skills

Collaboration across teams

Prioritization

Communication (written and verbal)

Healthcare scheduling and workflow

Education

High school diploma / GED

Job description

The Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) (AMSA) serves within the Clinical Section of Surgical Care at the Central Texas VA Health Care System (CTVHCS). The AMSA position is a fundamental role within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Patient Centered Medical Home Model Transformation Initiative. They provide specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model.

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. 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.
• Licensure/Certification/Registration. None
• Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for 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:

Experience. One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level. Examples of experience may include, but 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; coordinate 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.).

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• 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. 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.
• Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.

Preferred Experience:

• Provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working] collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model.
• Responsible for running the Encounter Action Required Report (EARR) and providing findings to providers to facilitate accurate workload credit and revenue collection.
• Schedules appointment with patient input to reduce no shows. Continually works with the providers and nursing staff to change appointments when clinically indicated, carefully following medical center, and VHA directives regarding this process.

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 work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunction with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.