Advanced Medical Support Assistant

Medical Support Assistant

Serve as the Medical Support Assistant(s) for the CITC department of Health Care and Business Operations whose purpose is to provide a high level of administrative and clerical support in the application of Non-VA related services provided by the VA Maryland Health Care System. The two-page resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. Responsibilities include independently managing position responsibilities with minimal supervision, setting priorities and deadlines, adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs. The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) functions as an expert authority for all tasks associated with community care. As an expert, the MSA provides technical support to professional staff and other medical center employees, advising staff on appropriate administrative procedures to follow. The AMSA works collaboratively with staff at the Medical Center, contract vendors, Medical Center affiliates, and community health care providers to coordinate veteran Non VA care activities. Incumbent must assist with coordination of records between medical center and NVCC providers, and return of outside records to the CPRS/VISTA imaging system to process results to VA provider. Incumbent maintains effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary team, VA medical centers, contract providers, and community providers and support patient safety standards. Incumbent must be able to interpret and communicate requirements of VHA scheduling directives and complete accurate scheduling responsibilities and assist in training other MSA levels as follows:

A. Schedule appointments with Non VA Care providers and monitor the Electronic Waiting List accurately in a timely manner as well as the Veteran's Choice List. All appointments will be made with the patients input, either in person or by phone. This may require a high level of coordination.

B. Notifies his/her supervisor when clinic access is less than desirable or if an individual patient cannot be scheduled within mandated clinic timeframes.

C. Daily review of active/pending consults, Electronic Wait List (EWL), Veteran Choice List (VCL) and previous appointments for disposition.

The Advanced MSA for the Care in the Community (CITC) team fully participates in team meetings where patient care planning and management occur in addition to VANTS and Live meetings with contract vendors for coordination of Contracted Non VA Care. The Care In The Community (CITC) Team also manages the flow of information between VA, Contract vendor and Non VA providers under the Veteran Access Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 (VACAA) in addition to the following:

A. Retrieves the Veteran Choice Program list and scrubs for eligibility requirements.

B. Uploads identified clinical documentation to the Third Party Administrator (TPA) communication portal to initiate outside care.

C. Mails out the Veterans Choice Program qualification letters and appointment reminder notifications to Veterans.

D. Communicates daily with the Third Party Administrator in regards to the Veteran's scheduling, eligibility, and follow up.

E. Retrieves clinical documentation in regards to the Veteran's episode of care form and scans it as a part of the Veterans permanent record in CPRS.

F. Works in a collaborated effort with the RN's and administrators to facilitate a seamless process.

Incumbent will utilize an extremely complex blend of proprietary software, medical information, communication skills, and problem solving in a rapidly changing environment. The incumbent will ensure that all necessary health/administrative information is integrated into the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) scanned images. Position requires assisting with access contingency plans by adjusting appointment times, location or dates as well as shift patients to other healthcare facilities. Incumbent must screen/receive phone calls in a courteous and timely manner, determine the nature of requests and provide the information desired using privacy rules and established clinic processes. Additional duties or tasks may be assigned by the supervisor to ensure efficient daily operations.

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

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 25580-F

Requirements Conditions of Employment:

Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.

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.

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.

Qualifications:

Basic Requirements:

Citizenship. Citizen of the United States.

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.

Certification. None required.

Grandfathering Provision. All MSAs employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held, which are a part of the basic requirements of the occupation.

Grade Requirements:

Creditable Experience: Knowledge of MSA Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting.

Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting at the next lower grade level.

Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience as an MSA or equivalent administrative patient support in anon-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek.

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-6 Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level.

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.). Other assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: processes incoming patient secure messaging through MyHealthyVet 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 by sharing information and collaborating with the interdisciplinary team; setting priorities and deadlines, adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs; identifies incomplete encounters and communicates findings to providers; as needed; assists the team to reinforce the plan of care and self-help solutions; enters appropriate information into the electronic record; monitors pre-appointment information and/or requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure; manages