Medical Support Assistant

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. 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. BASIC REQUIREMENTS. (GS 3) a. Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.g.). b. 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. Medical Support Assistant, GS-4 (a) Experience. One year of experience in 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, (b) Education. Two years of education above high school. (c) Assignment. This is a developmental level MSA position. It is expected that MSAs [at this level] receive [minor and less frequent] guidance from higher experienced staff members for more difficult tasks. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: [scheduling and rescheduling patients for treatment; interviewing patients for appointments; referring patients to other medical specialty clinics; providing information to patients necessary to resolve VA Handbook complaints;] interacting with both internal and external customers; [reviewing] and [documenting] medical outpatient and inpatient [electronic health records], as well as administrative records; verifying third party insurance and updating information in the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) system; obtaining medical information from patients; coordinating information and actions related to patient care and services; and scheduling appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. MSA’s at this level refer all questions [regarding] medical attention to [the] appropriate health care team member. (d)] Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate [all of] the KSAs below: i- Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and other health care team members in a courteous and helpful manner in order to [facilitate medical care for patients]. li- Ability to use, [and navigate between], various types of office automation equipment and software [(i.e., computer systems, web-based scheduling programs; insurance collection system; scanning software, multiple line phone systems; electronic faxing programs) to support patient care]. iii. [Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients]. iv. [Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics.] Medical Support Assistant, GS-5 (a) Experience [].One year of experience equivalent to the [GS-4] grade level; [OR, (b) Education. Four] years of education above high school. (c) Assignment. This is the full performance level for MSAs. At this level, the MSA independently performs a full range of duties [related to the delivery of healthcare services in an inpatient or outpatient setting. Advises clinical staff on current administrative processes.] The MSA is responsible for [answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit], scheduling appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling [patient] appointments and/or consults; entering no-show information; monitoring [appointment requests from multiple] electronic [sources; participating in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinic], monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments [in] areas of responsibility; verifying and updating demographics and insurance information when [patients check-in for appointments. Coordinates administrative functions relating to] emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals [and determines appointment type based on the patient’s] eligibility [status] (i.e., TRICARE, sharing agreements, [collaterals, research patient, VA employee], etc.).[ (d)] Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate [all of] the KSAs: below: i- 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. li- [Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.] iii. Ability to [schedule medical] appointments in a clinical setting. iv. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties [performing patient support work]. y_. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally [in person, electronically, and/or by telephone], with [internal and external customers]. vi. [Skill in customer service with the ability] to identify [customer] concerns, [and refer] to the [appropriate staff], as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution. 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: Preferred Experience: Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is grade 5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of grade 3 to grade 5. Physical Requirements: Must take a TB test.
The applicant serves as a Medical Support Assistant in Health Administration Service Line. The applicant performs duties related to the receipt, intake, and indexing of health and administrative information. The applicant will interface with personal computer (PC) applications as well as numerous Vista applications. Duties may be performed in Clinic Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), Telephone Call Center, or Inpatient, Outpatient Clinic.