Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Hines (IL); On-site; USD 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

The Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital System is seeking a Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) to provide outpatient and inpatient administrative services for Veterans in its Primary Service Area.

This role supports patient access, care coordination, and administrative workflows across a 1A complex facility and affiliated CBOCs in Illinois. Applicants must meet basic requirements including a high school diploma or equivalent.

Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process related to access to care.
• Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures affecting patient flow and care coordination.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology used by clinicians.
• Ability to collaborate with diverse medical staff to achieve team goals.
• Ability to set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines.
• Ability to communicate clearly with internal and external customers.

Responsibilities

• Enter, modify, and retrieve patient information in EHRs and scheduling systems.
• Schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
• Communicate with internal and external customers, documenting interactions.
• Provide patient support and customer service to ensure satisfaction.

Skills

Advanced health-care process knowledge

Policies & procedures

Medical terminology

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Prioritization & organization

Effective communication

Education

High school diploma / GED

Job description

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. 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.