Medical Support Assistant (advanced)
Advanced Medical Support Assistant
The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) serves Care in the Community (CITC) at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center. The AMSA'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 Wait List, patient processing, and customer service.
Responsibilities include:
Performing receptionist and scheduling duties, and customer service.
Collaborating in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model.
Performing scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling of patient appointments and or consults.
Developing and maintaining effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary team, VA Medical Centers, and other agencies.
Maintaining and monitoring patient appointment schedules for the clinic and communicating delays to the appropriate staff and patients.
Resolving complaints of a local administrative nature and referring other complaints to appropriate authorities.
Providing information regarding clinic and hospital policies, procedures, and locations to patients, family members, and staff.
Maintaining patient's confidential records, copies, and file documentation.
Scanning and entering information into VISTA, CPRS.
Protecting printed and electronic files containing sensitive data in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 and other applicable laws, federal regulations, VA statutes and policy, and VHA policy.
Analyzing situations to determine what decisions can be made or if advise of higher authority is needed.
The primary age of Veterans receiving services is typically between 18 and 80 years of age. This position requires the incumbent to possess or develop an understanding of the particular needs of these types of patients. Sensitivity to the special needs of all patients in respect to age, developmental requirements, and culturally related factors must be consistently achieved.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8-4:30 PM
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 613-22057-F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo
Medical Support Assistant: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-MSA-VA-Career
RESUME REQUIREMENTS - Your resume MUST include the following information:
Job Title (for each position)
Description of duties (be as detailed as possible)
Month and year start/end dates (e.g. June 2018 to April 2020) of employment
Full-time or part-time status (include average hours worked per week)
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.
You may be required to serve a trial period.
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 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:
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: 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.
Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs.
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:
Advanced Medical Support Assistant GS-6 Grade Level:
Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level.
Experience is defined as experience that includes, but is not limited to: scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient's appointments and/or consults; entering no-show information; monitoring the electronic wait list; preparing for clinic visits; monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility; ensuring encounter forms are completed in order to obtain appropriate workload credit; verifying and updating demographics and insurance information; processing all emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals; performing basic eligibility, co-pays and pre-authorization requirements for specific coverage (i.e., TRICARE, sharing agreements, etc.).
Candidates must also be able to demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAS) for the GS-0679-6 level to qualify for this position:
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.
References: VA Handbook 5005/117, Part II, Appendix G45 Dated: August 1, 2019.
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6.
Physical Requirements: VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
Work is partially sedentary, with frequent walking, standing, bending. carrying of light items such as papers and books, or small parts. Some slight physical effort may be required. Incumbent may be susceptible to eyestrain from working long hours on the computer.
Work Environment: Work is performed primarily in a patient care setting; adequately lighted, temperature controlled, and ventilated. Office temperatures