Medical Support Assistant (advanced)

Advanced Medical Support Assistant

The incumbent serves as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant in the Primary Care Medicine service line at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. The incumbent's work impacts the administrative aspect of patient care, including: 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. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Incumbent is responsible for assuring that various aspects of staffing, training, compliance, reporting, quality assurance, and budgetary initiatives are met. The incumbent plays an integral role in identifying and developing ways to resolve problems with the administrative and clinical staff on access, customer service, patient flow, revenue, and data validation issues. His/her work also impacts processes, action plans, monitoring and reporting. Failure to perform these duties properly could result in the veteran not receiving the treatment to which he/she is entitled or priority access to care to which he/she is entitled. A large part of the duties of a Clinical Support Section employee is acting as a receptionist at the clinic, either face-to-face or telephonically, requiring excellent customer service skills. The Advanced MSA works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model (i.e. PACT) and performs receptionist duties, customer service and other duties assigned for the proper and timely treatment of patients and maintains appointment schedules for one or more outpatient clinics. The MSA is able to independently manage position responsibilities with little supervision as well as set priorities and deadlines adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs. Daily review of active/pending consults, EWL, Recall list and Audio-care communications for accuracy and disposition. Coordinates administrative services for veterans, family members, caregivers, and general public, administrative and clinical staff to insure continuity of inpatient and outpatient care. Employee plans and organizes work with general assistance from the supervisor as to meet local and VA-wide time frames to complete analysis requirements, reports and special assignments. The incumbent is responsible for reporting backlogs, difficulties in meeting deadlines, uncooperative physicians, or difficulty in securing information from clinicians or the record. Routinely communicates with physicians, case managers, and other allied health professional staff on complex cases using sound interpersonal skills and is constantly aware of the sensitive information. Completed assignments are evaluated for technical soundness, usefulness, and conformance with VA requirements.