Medical Support Assistant-Rehabilitation & Extended Care Service

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Saint Cloud (MN); On-site; USD 36,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Saint Cloud, MN, seeks a Medical Support Assistant to handle day-to-day administrative tasks in the Rehabilitation Department.

You will schedule appointments, manage patient flow, and support clinic staff and veterans with accurate documentation. Responsibilities include data entry, patient check-in, coordination of telehealth services, and ensuring smooth operations within the REC line.

Qualifications

• Experience with patient interaction and medical office support.
• Ability to use office automation equipment and scheduling software.
• Knowledge of medical terminology to assist in patient care.

Responsibilities

• Schedule appointments and manage patient flow.
• Enter and verify patient information and referrals.
• Assist in coordinating telehealth and in-person visits.

Skills

Interpersonal communication

Customer service

Scheduling

Medical terminology

Independent work

Office software

Education

High school diploma

GED equivalent

Transcript required

Tools

VistA

CPRS

Job description

Summary

This position is in the Rehabilitation & Extended Care Service (REC) Line at the St. Cloud VA Health Care System and is the first administrative point-of-contact for patients and family members. The Medical Support Assistant (MSA) position involves technical work concerned with the day-to-day administrative functions within the Rehabilitation Department. The position provides administrative support to clinic staff members and patients.

This position is in the Rehabilitation & Extended Care Service (REC) Line at the St. Cloud VA Health Care System and is the first administrative point-of-contact for patients and family members. The Medical Support Assistant (MSA) position involves technical work concerned with the day-to-day administrative functions within the Rehabilitation Department. The position provides administrative support to clinic staff members and patients.

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
• Certification
• None required
• Grandfathering Provision
• All MSAs employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title - series - and grade held - which are a part of the basic requirements of the occupation
• For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard - but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it - the following provisions apply: (1) Such employees may be reassigned - promoted - or changed to a lower grade within the occupation
• (2) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed - on a temporary or permanent basis - until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard
• (3) If an employee who was converted to Title 38 hybrid status under this provision leaves the occupation - the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation 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
• English Language Proficiency
• Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C.
• 7403(f)
• 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
• GRADE DETERMINATIONS: GS-3 MSA (Entry Level) 1
• Experience or Education: None beyond the basic requirements
• GS-4 MSA (Developmental Level) 1
• Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade
• OR 2
• Education: One year of education above high school
• (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)
• AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to Basic Requirements and the experience listed above - candidates must be able to demonstrate all of the KSAs below: 1
• Ability to meet - communicate - and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and other health care team members in a courteous and helpful manner in order to facilitate medical care for patients
• 2
• Ability to use - and navigate between - various types of office automation equipment and software (i.e
• computer systems - web based scheduling programs
• insurance collection system
• scanning software - multiple line phone systems
• electronic faxing programs) to support patient care
• 3
• Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients
• 4
• Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics
• GS-5 MSA (Full Performance Level) 1
• Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade
• OR 2
• Education: Two years of education above high school.(TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)
• AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to Basic Requirements and the experience listed above - candidates must be able to demonstrate all of the KSAs below: 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
• 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-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-5. 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

• VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo The incumbent is responsible for scheduling appointments - including interpretating and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines
• Assignments at this level include - but are not limited to: Scheduling - cancelling - rescheduling patients appointments and/or consults
• entering no-show information
• monitoring the unable to schedule list
• preparing for clinic visits
• monitoring outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility
• ensuring encounter forms are completed in order to obtain appropriate workload credit
• verifying and updating demographics and insurance information
• and processing all emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals
• Specific Functions: The incumbent uses VistA and CPRS computer system daily - including the keyboard and printer
• The incumbent answers questions and providers information and daily activities include the following: - Working directly with patients who have been instructed to request a new appointment to schedule and provide patient instructions on test preparation - diets and procedural requirements
• - Seeking out available appointments with multiple staff members and services to coordinate Telehealth appointments
• - Programs the VistA printer to generate notices to outpatients concerning failed and rescheduled appointments
• Reviews output to ensure that appropriate information is generated and ensures that inappropriate letters are discarded
• - Utilizes and follows up on Audio Care Reminder calls
• - Produces and distributes daily schedules to professional staff
• - Pre-registration as needed with checking patients in for appointments
• Incumbent performs duties as follows: - Receives - interviews - and routes individuals for either inpatient or outpatient care to the appropriate care team or setting
• - Maintains daily contact with professional services personnel giving outpatient/inpatient care to ensure the best possible liaison between patient and health care system personnel
• - Accepts telephone calls from Veterans - relatives - service officers - etc
• regarding outpatient/inpatient treatment and transportation
• - Receives and responds to unclear inquiries concerning a variety of medical - personnel - and administrative matters
• Determines general nature of inquiry and independently responds to all administrative questions
• Recognizes and refers urgent inquiries to professional staff for immediate action
• - Reviews medical records of outpatients/inpatients to ensure that requested appointments are made for the professional staff and diagnostic services
• - Schedules and receives consults based on established scheduling policies and procedures from VHA directive for outpatient clinic scheduling
• - Utilizes Appointment Management Supervisor Menu to accurately and appropriately to facilitate efficient scheduling of appointments
• - Update - review - and utilize the Unable to Schedule list to accurately reflect patients waiting to schedule an appointment
• - Processes all health care providers orders accurately
• Seeks clarification of orders when appropriate
• - Promptly and accurately initiates and checks on status of referrals - lab and x-ray procedures - completing required forms with appropriate patient identification
• - Makes numerous calls each day to coordinate information and actions relating to patient care and services
• Relays information and requests from the patients to the treatment team and within the treatment team
• - Ensures that escort services and transportation are properly arranged
• Pages and locates clinic staff for patient services and consultation
• - Accurately and timely performs clerical work in support of the care and treatment given to patients such as receiving patients or maintaining patient files
• Performs clerical level work to procure supplies and services to meet the procurement requirements of the unit or department
• - Processes incoming and outgoing materials such as correspondence - reports - memoranda - and other forms of written communication
• Performs the following types of duties: edit letters - composes letters and reports - reviews correspondence for accuracy and completeness - transcribes meeting minutes and replies to inquiries
• - Actively seeks and schedules Telehealth services for appropriate and active Telehealth services
• - Assists in mentoring students or training new or less experienced employees
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized