Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) - Community Care - Recruitment/Relocation Incentive Authorized

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Fargo (ND); On-site; USD 48,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Sign-on bonus

Paid time off

Federal health/vision/dental insurance

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Fargo Health Care System is seeking a Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) to provide clerical and administrative support in coordinating care for veterans through VA Community Care referral processing.

This GS-6 position requires ability to operate computerized systems, manage appointments, and communicate effectively with clinicians and veterans. A strong focus on patient service and interdepartmental coordination is essential.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED or equivalent.
• Citizenship and English proficiency as required.
• Experience or demonstrated KSAs in coordinating care.
• Ability to operate electronic health records and scheduling systems.

Responsibilities

• Assist with VA Community Care coordination and referrals.
• Coordinate veteran appointments across community care vendors.
• Communicate with care teams to ensure timely access to care.
• Process inquiries and maintain patient records in EHR.

Skills

Computer literacy

Medical terminology

Communication skills

Customer service

Education

High school diploma / GED

Tools

Electronic health records

Scheduling systems

Job description

• A recruitment/relocation incentive may be authorized for highly qualified candidates**The Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) serves in the VA Community Care team and performs clerical and administrative support in the coordination - care - and treatment provided to veterans through the VA Community Care referral processing procedures at the Fargo VA Health Care System - which includes the Community Based Outreach Clinics.
  

Summary

• A recruitment/relocation incentive may be authorized for highly qualified candidates**The Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) serves in the VA Community Care team and performs clerical and administrative support in the coordination - care - and treatment provided to veterans through the VA Community Care referral processing procedures at the Fargo VA Health Care System - which includes the Community Based Outreach Clinics.
  

Qualifications

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)
• Foreign Education
• To be creditable - education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs
• Grade Determinations: Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) - GS-6 Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level that equips the candidate with the following: 1
• 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
• 2
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients
• 3
• Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting
• 4
• Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work
• 5
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person - electronically - and/or by telephone - with internal and external customers
• 6
• Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns - and refer to the appropriate staff - as necessary - to ensure a satisfactory resolution
• AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: i
• 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
• ii
• Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines - ensuring compliance with established processes - policies - and regulations
• iii
• 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
• iv
• 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
• v
• 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
• vi
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians
• 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-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.
  

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties of this position include - but are not limited to: The AMSA works closely with clinical personnel to ensure veterans receive timely referred and scheduled care in their local community
• Specialized administrative judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across all disciplines and specialties through community care
• Recommends changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines
• Utilizes numerous advanced patient systems involved in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model
• Coordinates veteran appointments through community vendors utilizing guidance and direction from the veteran's care team to ensure appointments are scheduled accurately - efficiently and within the clinical needs requested by the provider
• Develop and/or maintain effective and efficient communication with the veteran - veteran representatives - interdisciplinary care teams - VA medical centers - and other agencies (e.g
• coordinating community care appointments and additional requests for care with non-va medical facilities - administratively triaging phone calls related to community care requests - assisting other VA teams in understanding community care eligibilities in regards to the Mission Act of 2018 - assisting VACC RN in care coordination of referrals - following up with community vendors to ensure appointment completion and obtaining of medical records)
• Processes incoming veteran messages through message manager and care requests through my healthy vet - and coordinates with care team as appropriate
• Participates in team huddles and team meetings to manage - plan problem solve - and follow up with patient care by sharing information and collaborating with interdisciplinary team
• setting priorities and deadlines - adjusting the flow and sequencing the work to meet team and patient needs
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized for highly qualified applicants
• Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144-000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
• Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available Functional Statement #:000000 This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT
• Eligible applications will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.