Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Chattanooga (TN); On-site; USD 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeks an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) to support Veterans’ outpatient appointments and care coordination in a specialty clinic. The AMSA works with the Lead AMSA to ensure smooth clinic operations and patient flow.

Candidates should have a high school diploma or GED and be proficient in English. Familiarity with medical terminology and appointment scheduling is required for this role at GS-6 level.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Experience scheduling patient appointments and managing clinic flow.
• Strong knowledge of medical terminology and patient data handling.

Responsibilities

• Assist Veterans with outpatient appointment management and related care support.
• Schedule, reschedule, and cancel appointments; enter no-show information.
• Coordinate administrative functions for transfers and ensure accurate demographics/insurance data.

Skills

Scheduling expertise

Medical terminology

Interdisciplinary coordination

Patient data handling

Communication skills

Education

High school diploma or GED

Job description

The incumbent serves as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) who is responsible for assistance to Veterans providing a smooth process for the management of his/her outpatient appointments as well as support work in connection with the care and treatment given to the Veterans. The AMSA (Specialty Clinic) will work with the Lead AMSA (Specialty Clinic).

Please include full-time/part-time status or number of hours worked for each position listed on resume.

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.
• 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

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:

GS-06 Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

In addition to the basic requirements, you must meet the following grade requirements.

To qualify at this level, candidates must have: 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.

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.

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-6.

Physical Requirements

Typically, the Advanced Medical Support Assistant must be able to operate a computer terminal and be able to manage multiple activities at one time. Work is generally sedentary; however, there may be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items. Work Environment: The work may be stressful due to the accelerated pace for several hours at a time during peak clinic hours or on days that have a large volume of clinic activity.