Medical Support Assistant - Advanced

Veterans Health Administration; Georgia; On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Veterans Health Administration seeks a Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) at GS-06 level to support patient access in inpatient or outpatient settings. The role requires coordinating appointments, messaging, and liaison with multiple clinical staff to maintain smooth patient flow.

The MSA will verify demographics, assist with transfers, and ensure compliance with VA scheduling guidelines while delivering professional patient service in a dynamic care environment.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED and English proficiency.
• U.S. citizenship requirement; non-citizens only per VA policy.
• Ability to schedule appointments and verify provider orders.

Responsibilities

• Scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults.
• Entering no-show information; monitoring appointment requests from multiple sources.
• Participating in huddles with MSAs and clinic staff.
• Monitoring inpatient and outpatient appointments in areas of responsibility.
• Verifying and updating demographics and insurance information at check-in.
• Coordinating transfers to VA facilities or private hospitals based on eligibility.

Skills

Advanced healthcare process knowledge

Policy knowledge for care delivery

Medical terminology

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Prioritization and time management

Effective communication (written and口)

Education

High school diploma / GED

Job description

The Advanced MSA, provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Work involves specialized administrative judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or care in the community resources.

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: None.
• Education: High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• 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 (Advanced), GS-06

Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-5). 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.).

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

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

Work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. The ability to deal effectively with organizational change, role ambiguity and the stresses of juggling many priorities and rapidly responding to unanticipated critical situations is essential.