Medical Support Assistant

About the Role

Medical Support Assistants provide specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model.

Key Responsibilities

• Assure accurate, complete, and timely appointment management and coordination of all administrative information between professional staff and patients.
• Update and verify demographic information.
• Schedule face-to-face (F2F), virtual, and non-traditional appointments.
• Collect insurance information.
• Perform data entry and extraction.
• Administratively manage consultation requests.
• Manage the clinical electronic waiting list.
• Notify patients or their designees of scheduled appointments or changes in clinic scheduling.
• Provide essential administrative clinic management and scheduling support to Physicians, Physician's Assistants, Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners, Nurses, Dietitians, Social Workers, and other administrative and professional staff.
• Provide administrative scheduling and appointment coordination for diagnostic testing and consultative appointments for multiple clinical services.
• Maintain a high level of telephone communication skills (listening, interpreting, evaluating).
• Greet patients and establish direct eye contact, be audible, choose words well, and listen with respect.
• Interact with both internal and external customers.
• Establish and maintain medical outpatient and inpatient charts, as well as administrative records.
• Verify third party insurance and update information in the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) system.
• Obtain medical information from patients.
• Coordinate information and actions related to patient care and services.
• Schedule appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Proficient in spoken and written English.
• Operate a computer terminal and manage multiple activities simultaneously.
• Ability to operate computerized programs and systems to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying information (PII) into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnoses and procedures.
• Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
• Ability to work independently in accomplishing a wide variety of patient support duties.
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone with internal and external customers.
• Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns and refer to appropriate staff for satisfactory resolution.
• Must work in a multi-screen computer environment.
• Must be able to use VistA and Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) screens bilaterally.
• Proficient in typing, possessing speed, accuracy, and proper grammar.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements

• United States Citizenship (non-citizens may be appointed if qualified citizens cannot be recruited per VA Policy).
• English Language Proficiency.

Experience and Education

• Option 1: Experience
• Six months of experience in clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for the position.

OR

• Option 2: Education
• One year above high school.

OR

• Option 3: Experience/Education Combination
• Equivalent combination of experience and education that is qualifying for entry-level positions.

Foreign Education: Education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to U.S. programs by a specialized interpretation organization.

Grandfathering Provision

Applicable to current VHA employees in this occupation who meet specific criteria.

Full Performance Level (GS-5) Qualifications

Experience

• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level, including but not limited to:
• Scheduling and rescheduling patients for treatment.
• Interviewing patients for appointments.
• Referring patients to other medical specialty clinics.
• Providing information to patients regarding VA Handbook complaints.
• Interacting with both internal and external customers.
• Reviewing and documenting medical outpatient and inpatient electronic health records, as well as administrative records.
• Verifying third party insurance and updating information in the ICB system.
• Obtaining medical information from patients.
• Coordinating information and actions related to patient care and services.
• Scheduling appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines.
• Referring all questions regarding medical attention to the appropriate health care team member.

OR

Education

• Four years of education above high school.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)

• Ability to operate computerized programs and systems for electronic health records and scheduling.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology.
• Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
• Ability to work independently.
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally.
• Skill in customer service.

Work Schedule

• Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Pay

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• Higher step rate may be determined based on higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA.

Paid Time Off

• 37-50 days of annual paid time off per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays).
• Credit toward annual leave accrual may be given based on prior work experience or military service.

Parental Leave

• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment for birth, adoption, or foster care placement.

Child Care Subsidy

• Full-time employees with family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of eligible costs, with a monthly maximum of $416.66, after 60 days of employment.

Retirement

• Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting).
• Federal 401K with up to 5% contributions by VA.

Insurance

• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance.

Physical Requirements

• Work is generally sedentary, with some potential for walking, standing, bending, and carrying light items.

Work Environment

• May be stressful due to accelerated pace during peak hours or high volume of activity.