Medical Support Assistant (advanced)

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

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. 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 MSA 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. 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 wells 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 task may be assigned by the supervisor to ensure efficient daily operations.

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

Functional Statement #: 25580-F

Requirements

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.

Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

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.

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.

Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook.

English Language Proficiency. MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.j.

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.

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 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; informs team members about shared patients (i.e., those who receive their care at multiple VA centers or those who receive care in the community).

For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty), and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

i. 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.

ii. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.

iii. 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.

iv. 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.

v. 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.

vi. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.

Preferred Experience: Good customer service skills, exceptional computer knowledge, use of Outlook, organized and exceptional multi-tasker.