Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Waco (TX); On-site; USD 48,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Central Texas Veterans Health Care System (CTVHCS) seeks an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) to support Ambulatory Care within the PACT framework. This frontline position operates in a team-based care model, handling scheduling, data entry, and patient flow coordination).

The AMSA role requires basic education and English proficiency, with comprehensive VA training provided. The full-time position supports multiple clinics across the Central Texas area.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED or equivalent required.
• No prior experience required; on-the-job training provided.
• Proficiency in English (spoken and written) required.

Responsibilities

• Schedule, cancel, and reschedule patient appointments and consultations.
• Enter and update appointment no-show information and patient data.
• Monitor appointment requests from multiple electronic sources.
• Coordinate administrative tasks for transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals.
• Determine appointment type based on patient eligibility and criteria.

Education

High school diploma or GED or state/province equivalent

No experience required

Job description

This position assigned to Central Texas Veterans Health Care System (CTVHCS) Primary Care outpatient clinics under Ambulatory Care. The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) position is a fundamental role within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and PACT (Patient Aligned Care Team). Patient care is delivered in a team-based model known as PACT.

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.
• Licensure/Certification/Registration. None
• Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations

GS-06

Experience.

One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level. Examples of experience may include, but 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; coordinate 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.).

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• 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. 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Preferred Experience:

• Entering, modifying, retrieving sensitive information into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports.
• Scheduling medical appointments in a clinical setting.
• Performing patient support work.
• Providing customer service and identifying patient concerns to ensure satisfactory resolution.
• Advanced level of medical terminology.

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:

The work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.