Medical Support Assistant (advanced)

Medical Support Assistant

Our mission is to fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to veterans?

Responsibilities:

• Functions independently as an inpatient unit clerk and receptionist, utilizing computer systems to process patient movements (e.g. admissions, transfers, and discharges) and to enter required patient data including provider, diagnosis, etc.
• Participates in daily inter-disciplinary team rounds (i.e. patient aligned care team huddles) pertaining to the inpatient unit they are covering (medical, surgical, psych, CLC) to manage and plan patient care and inpatient movements for the inpatient hospital stay.
• Schedules clinic appointments in open clinics. Uses established business rules to schedule appointments for veterans.
• Complies with the mandatory training requirements for the outpatient scheduling process.
• Schedules discharge appointments to ensure timely discharge and improve patient flow.
• Has taken and maintains outpatient scheduler training.
• Performs as the primary timekeeper and is required to provide excellent skills in the performance of timekeeping duties for nursing staff on their perspective unit.
• Assists with the orientation/on the job training of new staff.
• Responds appropriately to callers and visitors to assure that all messages are communicated in a timely manner.

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

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized

Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases

Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid federal holidays per year)

Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience.

Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.

Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA

Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 000000

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure: Not required

Requirements: 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.

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.
• 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:
• (a) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level.
• (b) 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.
• Preferred Experience: 1+ year administrative medical office experience.

Reference: VA Handbook 5005/53, Part II, Appendix G45

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

Physical Requirements: The work is generally sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work, utilizing a computer, phone, and/or headset. However, walking, bending, pushing/pulling medical file charts, and carrying medical files, cases of paper, etc. are regularly necessary. No special physical demands are required to perform the work as long as extended periods of sitting and using a computer keyboard or mouse are tolerated.

Education IMPORTANT: There is no education substitution for the GS-6 Grade Level

Additional Information:

• During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.
• This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
• This position is in the excepted service and does not confer competitive status.
• VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply.
• The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.