Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Spirit Lake (IA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Iowa is seeking an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) to support outpatient clinics with accurate appointment management and coordination of administrative information between staff, patients, and representatives.

The AMSA performs day-to-day administrative operations, ensures data entry into EHR and scheduling systems, and communicates effectively with internal and external customers.

Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology relevant to diagnoses and procedures.
• Customer service skills to identify concerns and refer to appropriate staff to resolve.
• Ability to operate computerized programs to enter/modify/retrieve sensitive medical and patient information in EHR, scheduling systems, and reports.
• Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
• Ability to work independently on a wide range of patient support duties.
• Effective communication with internal and external customers in person, electronically, and by phone.

Responsibilities

• Provide medical administrative support to outpatient clinics and coordinate information between staff, patients, and representatives.
• Manage appointments accurately and ensure day-to-day administrative operations.
• Assist in maintaining patient flow and data accuracy across systems.

Skills

Advanced medical terminology

Customer service

Data entry / EHR navigation

Appointment scheduling

Independent work

Effective communication

Education

High School diploma or GED

Tools

Electronic Health Records (EHR)

Scheduling systems

Job description

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. 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:

1. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients
2. Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.
3. 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.
4. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting
5. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work
6. 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:

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/.

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.