Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Sioux Falls (SD); On-site; USD 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeks an Advanced Medical Support Assistant to provide essential medical administrative support for outpatient clinics. You will manage appointments, coordinate information between staff, patients, and caregivers, and assist in maintaining efficient clinic operations.

You will work within a multidisciplinary team, handling scheduling, data entry, and patient communications while upholding privacy standards and established clinical processes.

Qualifications

• High School diploma, GED or proficiency certificate from a state or territorial board.
• United States Citizenship required; non-citizens may be appointed only when permitted by VA policy.

Responsibilities

• Manages appointment schedules for outpatient clinics with accuracy and professionalism.
• Provides administrative support and coordinates information between staff, patients, and care teams.
• Operates computerized systems to enter, modify and retrieve sensitive patient information and scheduling data.
• Performs receptionist duties and handles calls, ensuring patient concerns are resolved in accordance with privacy rules.
• Coordinates with patient care teams to review clinic availability and supports interdisciplinary care delivery.

Job description

Summary

This position provides medical administrative support to one or more outpatient clinics and is an integral member of the clinic team to effectively carry out day-to-day administrative operations of the clinic. The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) is responsible for accurate appointment management and the coordination of all administrative information between the professional staff - patient - patient caregiver and/or representative.

Qualifications

All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to clearly demonstrate your experience in your application package may result in disqualification. All applicants are required to submit responses to each Knowledge - Skill - and Ability (KSA) on a separate document.

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
• Grade Determinations: Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) GS-6 Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level - which includes - but not limited to: Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns - and refer to the appropriate staff - as necessary - to ensure a satisfactory resolution
• Ability 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
• Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person - electronically - and/or by telephone - with internal and external customers AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: 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
• 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/
• Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position
• Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Major duties include - but are not limited to the following: Works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary care delivery model and performs receptionist - customer service - and administrative duties for the proper and timely treatment of patients
• Demonstrates substantial skills in planning - organizing - problem solving - and decision-making
• They maintain appointment schedules for one or more outpatient clinics - while demonstrating a high level of oral and written communication skills
• Provides administrative support to our clinical colleagues in the care of our Nation's Veterans
• Utilizes a variety of patient data systems and is responsible for performing scheduling functions including appointment scheduling/rescheduling - and cancellations - providing reception to incoming and outgoing customers and communication - appointment check in/out - verification and disposition of provider orders - manual and electronic data entry - and reviewing and updating patient demographics - insurance verification and reviewing and disposition of Message Manager and Secure Messages
• 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
• Recommends changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines
• Coordinates 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 adjust as necessary
• 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
• identifies incomplete encounters - independently generates reports - and communicates findings to team members
• Receives phone calls in a courteous and timely manner - determine the nature of requests and provide the information desired using privacy rules and established clinic processes
• Schedules patient's future appointments with appropriate clinical team members
• Organizes paperwork required for the examination
• Request medical records from community healthcare facilities - schedules consultation appointments - special procedures - and/or testing labs - radiology - CPAP - PFT's - pulmonary - and other clinics to coordinate care
• Able to interpret and communicate requirements of VHA Scheduling Directives and policies
• Appointments will be made with the patient's input - either in person - over the phone - or through written communication
• This may require a high level of coordination to avoid patients having to make multiple trips to the medical center or clinic
• Daily review of return to clinic orders - queries - and referrals
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday
• 7:30am-4pm or 8am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized