Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo

Duties of the Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) include but are not limited to:

• Scheduling referrals within Specialty Care
• Coordinating with the patient care team to review the clinic utilization by using various reports (e.g., Clinic Utilization Statistical Summary).
• Ensuring the clinic setup is closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinic and providing the necessary recommendations to ensure compliance or corrective actions and the appropriate level of access.
• Maintaining effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary team, VA Medical Centers, and other agencies (e.g., assisting with communications during the inpatient to outpatient discharge; communicate with non-VA medical facilities; facilitate/process secure messaging with the patient and team; notify patients of appointments; manage a tracking system for follow up care such as Return to Clinic Orders, Recall, consults, tests, etc.).
• Setting priorities and deadlines.
• Adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs.
• Works with the team to reinforce the plan of care and self-help solutions and enters appropriate information into the electronic record.
• Monitoring pre-appointment requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure (e.g., X-ray, lab work).
• Participating and providing input in problem solving on operational issues or procedures in team meetings.
• Performing administrative follow up actions
• Participates in and independently follows up on team huddles by sharing information and collaborating with the medical team to assure continuity of care; evaluates patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether patient is vested.
• Educates providers about shared patients (those who receive their care at multiple VAs or those who have care in the community) and bringing to the attention of the provider.
• Plans and organizes work with general assistance from the supervisor as to meet local and VA-wide time frames to complete analysis requirements, reports and special assignments and only refers to the non-routine and high technical problems to his/her supervisor.
• Reports backlogs, difficulties in meeting deadlines, uncooperative physicians, or difficulty in securing information from clinicians or the record.
• Maintains the confidentiality of information obtained to carry out required duties.
• Routinely communicates with physicians, case managers, and other allied health professional staff using sound interpersonal skills and is constantly aware of the sensitive information.
• Works independently making decisions based on guidelines, precedents and regulations and performs duties in such a manner that only minimal supervision is required.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm
Telework: Available (Ad-hoc)
Functional Statement #: 81906-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS.To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must possess the following:

a.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).
b. Experience. GS-6 experience listed below
c. Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
d. Licensure/Certification/Registration. None.
e. Grandfathering Provision. Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of the
qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held, including positive education and
registration/certification where applicable. For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply:

(1) 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.
(2) Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

NOTE: This provision is not intended to regularize appointments/placements.
f. Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S.
program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials.
g. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee
Occupational Health Service for requirements.
h. 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-06.
(1) Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
(2) Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
(a) 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.
(b) 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.
(c) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.
(d) 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.
(e) Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies,
and regulations.
(f) 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.

Preferred experience : Two Years in Specialty medicine scheduling field.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. FORMER VA HANDBOOK REFERENCE: PART II APPENDIX G45

Physical Requirements: The work of this position is primarily sedentary working closely with others or alone. There may be some walking, standing, bending, kneeling, carrying of light items under 15 pounds, reaching above shoulder, driving an automobile, etc. The work environment typically involves everyday risks or discomforts which require normal safety precautions typical of an office, meeting or training room. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. The physical requirements of this position are concerned with the mental/emotional and physical ability of the incumbent to satisfactorily perform the duties of the proposed assignment and may include requisite laboratory and other screening as required by VA Directive 5019.

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.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/.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.