Advanced Medical Support Assistant

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

This position is located at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the Emergency Department. This position is assigned to the ED patient care delivery team. The team provides the majority of the healthcare needs for an assigned panel of patients. The Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) plays a key role in the VHA Network Performance Measures, including Customer Service, Access to Care, and overall quality of healthcare delivery by VA.

Responsibilities include:

• Daily review and management of EDIS program including monitoring of lab and imaging requests, assignment of rooms, and updating of EDIS board upon disposition of ED patients by ED providers.
• Use of EDIS board information to keep track of patients to call them to the ER or Fast Track when it is time for them to be seen/treated by providers.
• Assist with ED 24/7 access to patients by entering bed requests for patients and updating BMS when patients are admitted to the floor.
• Generate patient workload reports that have to do with schedules/scheduling for validation and monitors activity to assure consistent and accurate reporting.
• Tracking emergency medicine metrics in EMMT including provider assignment and provider disposition reports.
• Play an integral role in identifying and developing ways to resolve problems with administrative and clinical staff on access, customer service, patient flow, revenue, and data validation issues.
• Conduct patient/employee interviews, observes workflow, guides patients through hospital system, inputs referrals, documents complaints, provides follow-up, assesses operational risks and suggests resolutions to supervisor.
• Interpret and apply a complex body of pertinent laws, regulations, directives, and policies that relate to the administration of VA Healthcare Benefits.
• Maintain effective communication with patient, interdisciplinary team, and VITA and outside providers.
• Where appropriate, ensure patient has prep material for test(s) and monitor unscheduled appointment requirements to ensure readiness.
• Work with ED providers to coordinate and schedule labs and other tests.
• Work with ED providers to notify patients of normal and abnormal lab results.
• Provide follow-up calls to patients to remind them of their primary care follow-up appointments made in the ED.
• Explain ED administrative procedures to patients and their family members both in person and on the phone.
• Participate in huddles or meeting with ED Annex, Mental Health and other interdisciplinary members to manage and plan patient care/flow.
• Refer patients in the Medical Care Cost Recovery Program so that data can be identified for potential third party health insurance and refers to appropriate site for the scanning of medical insurance cards using ICB.
• Assist in coordination of request for appropriate transportation of patients for medical appointments or for other medical facilities.
• Interpret and communicate requirements of VHA Scheduling Directives and complete accurate scheduling responsibilities.
• Schedule appointments and utilize the Electronic Waiting List accurately in a timely manner.
• Coordinate administrative services for veterans, family members, caregivers, and general public, administrative and clinical staff to insure continuity of inpatient and outpatient care.
• Get full and complete ED patients check-in input in person. This may require a high level of coordination to avoid patients having to make multiple trips to the medical center or clinic whenever possible.

Work Schedule: Weekdays - 7:30am - 4:00pm with rotating weekends and holidays.

Functional Statement #: 00918F

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.

PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not authorized.

Requirements:

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. 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).

Qualifications:

Basic Requirements:

CITIZENSHIP: Must be a United States Citizen.

ENGLISH: Must be proficient in basic written and spoken English.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE: Must possess six (6) months experience of clerical, office, customer service or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skill necessary to perform the duties of the Medical Support Assistant. OR Must have successfully completed one (1) year above high school. This education must have been obtained in an accredited technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying for entry level. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)

In addition to meeting the basic requirements listed above, you must meet the grade requirements at the GS-6 level to qualify for this position.

Grade Determinations:

GS-6 level Must possess one (1) year of experience that is directly related to the duties of an MSA. To be creditable, this experience must be equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-5, and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities.

AND Demonstrate Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines 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. 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 the patient flow, and patient support care 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: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

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

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Physical demands do not exceed those of a typical office setting. There may be some walking, standing twisting, turning, sitting, pushing, bending, repetitive keyboarding, or carrying of light items. Some positions may require sitting for long periods of time at a computer terminal typing data while talking on a telephone headset.

Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

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.

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