Medical Support Assistant

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

The incumbent serves as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant in the Mental Health Service Line at the CRRC (Community Referral and Resource Center). Located in Maplewood, MN (CBOC). The incumbent's work impacts the administrative aspect of patient care.

Major duties include:

• Access, scheduling/coordinating appointments using advanced clinic access principles
• Collecting and updating demographic and insurance information
• Managing the Electronic Waiting List (EWL), patient processing and customer service
• Identifying and developing ways to resolve problems with the administrative and clinical staff on access, customer service, patient flow, revenue, and data validation issues
• Working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model (i.e. PACT) and performing receptionist duties, customer service and other duties assigned for the proper and timely treatment of patients and maintaining appointment schedules for one or more outpatient clinics
• Assisting with clinic access contingency plans by adjusting appointment times, location, or dates as well as shift patients to other healthcare providers as conflict with staffing and/or coverage occurs
• Independently managing position responsibilities with little supervision as well as setting priorities and deadlines adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs
• Participating in the daily team let huddles and weekly team meetings where patient care planning and management occur, except during staff shortages for coverage
• Coordinating administrative services for veterans, family members, caregivers, and general public, administrative and clinical staff to insure continuity of inpatient and outpatient care
• Distributing and balancing the workload among employees in accordance with established work flow or job specialization, assures timely accomplishment of the assigned workload and assures that each employee has enough work to keep busy
• Assuming the role of a Program Support Assistant (Care Facilitator) or Medical Support Assistant (MSA) during special projects or heavy workload, for leave, vacancies, or when the Program Support Assistants (Care Facilitators) are detailed to fill-in other areas
• Generating patient workload reports for validation and monitoring activity in clinical areas to assure consistent and accurate reporting
• Organizing and implementing quality assurance monitors; preparing a wide variety of administrative reports and documents for supervisor and Health Administration Service/Business Office
• Conducting patient/employee surveys, interviews, observing workflow; guiding patients through hospital system, inputs referrals, documents complaints, and provides follow-up and suggests resolutions to supervisor
• Interpreting and communicating requirements of VHA Scheduling Directives and completing accurate scheduling responsibilities. Schedules appointments and utilize the EWL accurately in a timely manner
• Intervening to resolve difficult problems and diffusing potential dissatisfaction with VA services in order to prevent congressional and adverse publicity
• Maintaining the ability to perform the varied and complex duties of each of the Program Support Assistants (Care Facilitators) and the Medical Support Assistants in the Clinical Support Section located in various clinical areas throughout the medical center, some of campus or on irregular tours

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 0800-1630

Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized

Telework: Not Eligible

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Conditions of employment:

• 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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.

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: 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 One year above High School; OR Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.
• Certification: None Required
• 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 Determinations:

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) GS-6

Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level, which includes, but not limited to: Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order 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 diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients; Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting; Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work; Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers; and Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

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

• 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.
• Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.