Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Hines (IL); On-site; USD 52,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) to provide specialized administrative support for outpatient and inpatient veterans across the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital System and affiliated clinics in Illinois.

This role requires advanced knowledge of medical terminology, strong coordination with the care team, and proficiency with patient information systems. Telework is not available; duties involve on-site patient support across multiple clinics.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED or proficiency certificate.
• English language proficiency as per 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).

Responsibilities

• Provide specialized administrative patient support within an interdisciplinary care delivery model.
• Coordinate with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability and adjust schedules as needed.
• Enter appropriate information into the electronic health record and manage patient communications.

Skills

Advanced medical terminology

Patient scheduling

Interdisciplinary coordination

Communication skills

Electronic health records

Education

High school diploma / GED

Tools

MyHealthyVet

Job description

Summary

The incumbent serves as a Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) within the Patient Administrative Service (PAS). This position provides Outpatient and Inpatient administrative services to Veterans residing in the Primary Service Area of the Edward Hines - Jr. VA Hospital System. This health care system includes the Aurora - Hoffman Estates - Joliet - LaSalle - Kankakee and Oak Lawn Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs). The Edward Hines Jr. VA is a 1A complex facility.

Qualifications

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
• 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
• 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-6 Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-5)
• Examples of GS-5 experience include - but are not limited to: Operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter - modify - and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying information (PII) into or from electronic health records - scheduling systems - and/or reports
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients
• Schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting
• Work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work
• Communicate effectively and professionally in person - electronically - and/or by telephone - with internal and external customers
• Customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns - and refer to the appropriate staff - as necessary - to ensure a satisfactory resolution
• Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) 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
• (b) 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
• (c) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians
• (d) 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
• (e) Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines - ensuring compliance with established processes - policies - and regulations
• (f) 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
• Creditable Experience
• To be creditable - the experience must have required the use of knowledge - skills - and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting
• Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid or non-paid employment as an MSA or an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting
• 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: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Service.

Duties

• VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo Major duties include - but are not limited to: Provide 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
• Recommend changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines
• Expertise in utilizing numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics involved in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model
• Coordinate with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability (utilization) to ensure that clinic schedules are closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinics and makes adjustments as necessary
• Develop and/or maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient - interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model teams - VA medical centers - and other agencies (e.g. - assist with communications during the inpatient to outpatient discharge
• communicate with non-VA medical facilities
• prepare correspondence to notify patients of normal lab results - manage a system for follow-up care such as consults - tests - etc.)
• Process incoming patient secure messaging through MyHealthyVet and coordinate with care team as appropriate
• Participates in team huddles and team meetings to manage - plan - problem solve - and follow-up with patient care by sharing information and collaborating with the interdisciplinary team
• setting priorities and deadlines - adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs
• Identify incomplete encounters and communicates findings to providers - as needed - assist the team to reinforce the plan of care and self-help solutions
• Enters appropriate information into the electronic record
• Monitors pre-appointment information and/or requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure
• Manage patient systems to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues
• evaluate patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether the patient requires an immediate appointment
• Informs team members about shared patients (i.e. - those who receive their care at multiple VA centers or those who receive care in the community)
• Uses word processing software to execute several office automations functions such as storing and retrieving electronic documents and files - activating printers - inserting and deleting text - formatting letters - reports - and memoranda - and transmitting and receiving e-mail
• Locations: Aurora VA Clinic 161 South Lincolnway - Suite 120
• North Aurora - IL 60542
• Joliet VA Clinic 1201 Eagle Street
• Joliet - IL 60432
• LaSalle VA Clinic 4461 North Progress Village
• Peru - IL 61354-1109
• Oak Lawn VA Clinic 10201 South Cicero Avenue
• Oak Lawn - IL 60453
• Edward Hines Jr
• VA Hospital 5000 South 5th Avenue - Hines - IL 60141
• Work Schedule: Varies by location - tour of duty is subject to change based on the needs of the Agency
• Telework: Not available
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 10667F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.