Medical Support Assistant

This Medical Support Assistant position is located in the Dental Department - Front Desk - at Fort Yuma Service Unit in Winterhaven, CA. Duties include patient registration, eligibility verification, collecting and processing demographic and insurance information, maintaining medical records, scheduling appointments, and coordinating patient care communication; reports to Supervisory Dental Officer.

A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 37.5 (2021).

Total Compensation Package - Check out IHS's outstanding total compensation package for this job:
Medical Support Assistant Total Compensation | Pay (ihs.gov)

• Provides front desk support for patients and staff members to include: answering incoming telephone calls, greets clients and visitors and directs appropriate staff member or department, provides information and assistance to clients and customers.
• Receives or sends out mail and other messenger/courier items. Receives incoming mail; opens, sorts, and distributes. Delivers mail and internal correspondence within the organization. Collects outgoing mail or packages.
• Retrieves patients' medical records in advance for scheduled appointments and walk-in requests for clinic visits.
• Interviews patients to obtain pertinent patient registration information; Determines eligibility of patients seeking health care, obtain certificate of Indian Blood or other documentary proof of tribal membership, according to the IHS guidelines.
• Obtains signatures for file on required forms for Alternate Resources and PRC Services prior to patients being seen in the clinics for billing purposes and/or PRC eligibility. Maintains, key enters, updates and verifies all Alternate Resource data necessary for patient registration and for accurate billing through the use of the RPMS Patient Registration System.

To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
GS-04 Grade Level: Your resume must demonstrate at least (1) year of general experience. General experience is progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates ability to perform the work of this position at the GS-04 level. Examples include answering and routing phone calls and visitor inquiries, scheduling appointments, entering and updating data in computer systems, filing and retrieving records, and preparing routine correspondence.
OR;

• At least (2) years of education above the high school level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university, OR;
• A combination of education and experience that when combined fully meet the minimum qualifications for this position. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for the GS-4 level.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS for the GS-5 Grade Level:
GS-05 Grade Level: Your resume must demonstrate the possession of a Typing Proficiency Requirement (of at least 40 words per minute) and at least (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-04 grade level in a medical, dental or other healthcare setting that equipped me with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples include: Scheduling, cancelling, and rescheduling patient appointments in an electronic dental record (EDR) system based on provider availability, verifying patient demographic, registration, and eligibility information, Assembling, filing, and retrieving patient records, x-rays, lab reports, and other clinical documentation, Processing and tracking consults, referrals, and follow-up actions, Using basic medical or dental terminology, Responding to patient inquiries while protecting patient information under HIPAA and privacy requirements.

OR;

• At least (4) years of education above the high school level. OR;
• A combination of education and experience that when combined fully meet the minimum qualifications for this position. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify an applicant for the GS-5 level.

Time In Grade
Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade Requirements: Merit Promotion (status) candidates must have completed one year of service at the next lower grade level. Time-In-Grade provisions do not apply under the Excepted Service Examining Plan (ESEP).

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

if you are substituting education for experience; You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed, and grades. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer.

Only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education may be credited. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: https://www.ed.gov/accreditation.

If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Selectee may be subject to a probationary period
ESEP appointees typically serve a two year trial period
U.S. Citizenship is required
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959

This is a designated position covered by Public Law 101-630, requiring contact or control over Indian children. Due to this requirement, the agency must ensure that persons hired for these positions have not been found guilty of or pleaded nolo contendere or guilty to certain crimes.

IHS Selectees whose duties and responsibilities require them to work permanently, temporarily, or occasionally in an IHS healthcare facility must comply with the IHS Employee Immunization Policy related to vaccine-preventable diseases, consistent with recommendations for healthcare workers. Vaccine exemption requests may be available, as outlined in the IHS Employee Immunization Policy and facility guidance.

Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/.

You will need to set up direct deposit so we can pay you.

Background Investigation Requirement:

This position requires the successful completion of a federal background investigation as a condition of employment.

A background investigation is a standard process used by the Federal Government to verify an individual's identity, employment history, education, and other relevant information to determine suitability for Federal service.

Upon receipt of instructions, applicants must complete all required background investigation forms within five (5) calendar days of issuance. Timely completion is critical to avoid delays in processing or a determination of unsuitability.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to prioritize this requirement and to maintain regular communication with their assigned Personnel Security Specialist throughout the process.

Prior to the appointment, candidates must present two valid forms of identification. If one of the documents is a state-issued ID or driver's license, it must be REAL ID-compliant.