Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Beaumont (TX); On-site; USD 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, TX, announces multiple Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) vacancies (AMSAs) across departments.

Positions may be full-time, part-time, or intermittent in Houston or community-based outpatient clinics. Applicants pending education or licensure may be tentatively selected. Typical duties include answering phones, greeting patients, scheduling appointments, updating demographics and insurance information, and

Qualifications

• High school diploma, GED, or proficiency certificate.
• US Citizenship per VA policy.
• No experience required.
• English proficiency in speaking and writing.

Responsibilities

• Answer phones and greet patients; relay messages.
• Schedule, cancel, or reschedule appointments and/or consults.
• Verify and update demographics and insurance information at check-in.
• Coordinate administrative functions for patient transfers and appointment types.

Skills

Phone handling

Customer service

Appointment scheduling

Communication skills

Demographics/insurance

Medical terminology

Education

High school diploma or GED

Tools

Health care portals

Electronic Health Record systems

Job description

This announcement may be used to fill multiple Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), also referred to as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA), positions at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center located in Houston, TX, or at any of the community-based outpatient clinics.

This announcement may be used to fill AMSA vacancies in any department and may be used to fill full-time, part-time, or intermittent vacancies.

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. 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
• 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

In addition to the basic requirements for employment listed above, the following education and experience criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-06

Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-05). Examples of creditable experience include but are not limited to: answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit; scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults; entering no-show information; 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. Coordinating 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

• 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.
• 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.

Reference

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is 06.

Physical Requirements

Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment

Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.