Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)-Care in the Community

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Fort Meade (SD); On-site; USD 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Fort Meade, SD, seeks a Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) GS-6 to support coordination, care, and treatment for veterans within the VA Black Hills Health Care System. The role involves handling patient information, scheduling, and cross-functional communication with clinical staff.

You will need strong customer service skills, proficiency in English, and the ability to operate EHR and scheduling systems, ensuring accuracy and privacy of patient data.

Qualifications

• Requires a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Ability to operate computerized programs and protect sensitive patient information (PII).
• Experience with scheduling in a clinical setting preferred.
• Strong customer service skills and ability to refer issues appropriately.

Responsibilities

• Communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.
• Enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive patient information in EHR/scheduling systems.
• Schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
• Provide patient support and resolve inquiries or concerns.
• Work independently to perform a wide variety of patient support duties.
• Communicate effectively with internal and external customers in person, electronically, or by phone.

Skills

Advanced medical terminology

Customer service

Electronic health records

Scheduling appointments

Independent work

Professional communication

Education

HS diploma / GED

Tools

Electronic health records

Scheduling software

Job description

Performs clerical and administrative support in the coordination, care, and treatment provided to veterans through the CITC referral processing procedures at VA Black Hills Health Care System.

Position can be based out of either listed locations and is an open continuous announcement.

Applicants in USA Staffing will be qualified based on the resume submitted and qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager every 1-2 weeks until the announcement is closed or filled.

KSA Recommendation -

All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to demonstrate your experience and knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) in your application may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA (found below) to demonstrate how you have gained each one in your application package or on a supplemental document.

Creditable Experience:

Knowledge of MSA Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the 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/non-paid employment as [an] MSA or [an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting].

Basic Requirements

• Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• 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).

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) GS-6

This position is above the full performance level for this job series and requires experience beyond the basic requirement for positions in this occupation. You must meet the basic requirements and the following:

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE:

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;

Candidates must be able to demonstrate all of the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 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/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is 6.

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.