Advanced Medical Support Assistant

Description:

The Primary Care Advanced Medical Support Assistant is responsible for scheduling and managing patient appointments, interpreting and verifying provider orders. The AMSA operates computerized programs in order to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive information from electronic medical records, scheduling systems, and reports. Performs administrative supportive duties for patient care, communicates professionally and effectively with both internal and external customers.

Requirements:

Basic Requirements :

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Experience and Education
  • Experience. Six months experience of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position; OR ,
  • Education. One year above high school; OR ,
  • Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.
• English Language Proficiency. Must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.j.

Certification . None required

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: GS-6
In addition to the basic requirements, you must meet the specialized experience for the grade. Advanced Medical Support Assistant, GS-6

• Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. Experience includes, but is not limited to: answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit; scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines; entering no-show information; monitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sources; participating in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinic; verifying and updating demographics and insurance information when patients check-in for appointments; coordinates administrative functions relating to emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals and determines appointment type based on the patient's eligibility status (i.e., TRICARE, sharing agreements, collaterals, research patient, VA employee, etc.). AND
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities . Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
  1. 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.
  2. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.

References: VA Qualifications Standards - Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO)

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6.

Resume Reminder : Your resume must include the following for each job listed: 1) Job title and grade level/salary. In order to show that you meet the experience requirements, you must document grades you have held and how long you have held them; 2) Duties (you must include enough detailed information to support your specialized experience); 3) Month, day and year start/end dates (e.g. 04/02/2019 to 04/13/2020); 4) Hours worked per week for all jobs listed. 5) Full Name and address of Employer 6) Name of Supervisor or Contact name 7) Complete phone number of