Advanced Medical Support Assistant

Company: Department of Veterans Affairs
Location: North Little Rock
Posted on: June 6, 2021

Job Description:

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• Duties

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Duties

Summary

These TEMPORARY positions, NOT TO EXCEED 1 YEAR, will support the Federal Government's response efforts for COVID-19. It has been designated as Mission Critical and selected candidates must be able to start immediately.

This is an Open Continuous Announcement to fill multiple vacancies in any Service within the CAVHS. A qualification review will be conducted every 2 weeks and qualified candidates will be referred to the services that have requested recruitment.

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Responsibilities

These Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) positions support the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System by providing specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Work involves specialized administrative judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or care in the community resources.

Advanced MSAs perform receptionist, customer service, and administrative duties while independently setting priorities and organizing work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations. They 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.

Additional duties include but are not limited to:

• Schedules, re-schedules, and cancels patient appointments and may coordinate outpatient services;
• Coordinates with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability to ensure that clinic schedules are closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinics, and makes adjustments as necessary;
• Processes incoming patient secure messaging 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;
• Identifies incomplete encounters and communicates findings to providers;
• Enters appropriate information into the electronic record;
• Monitors pre-appointment information and/or requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure;
• Manages patient systems to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues;
• Evaluates patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether the patient requires an immediate appointment;
• May run various reports (ie appointment schedules, consult, cancellation, or follow-up reports).

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm or 8:00am-4:30pm

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status

No

Promotion Potential

None

• Job family (Series)

0679 Medical Support Assistance

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

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.
• (1) 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
• (2) Education. One year above high school; OR,

• (3) 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 policy.

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).

Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met.

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-6

(a) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level scheduling medical appointments in a clinical setting and modifying electronic health records with an advanced knowledge of medical terminology and skill in customer service;

(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition, you must demonstrate ALL of the following KSAs:

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.

(d) Assignment. The Advanced MSA provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Work involves specialized administrative judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or care in the community resources. Recommends changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines. Expertise in utilizing numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics involved in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Coordinates with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability (utilization) to ensure that clinic schedules are closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinics and makes adjustments as necessary. MSAs at this level develop and/or maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies (e.g., assist with communications during the inpatient to outpatient discharge; communicate with non-VA medical facilities; prepare correspondence to notify patients of normal lab results; manage a system for follow-up care such as consults, tests, etc.).

References: VA Handbook 5005/117 Part II, Appendix G45

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

Physical Requirements: The work is performed in a clinic setting with daily contact with patients. The work is primarily sedentary but does require a good amount of walking, standing and ambulation of a flight of stairs.

Education

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Keywords: Department of Veterans Affairs, North Little Rock , Advanced Medical Support Assistant, Other , North Little Rock, Arkansas