Clarification from the agency

Current Permanent Employees of Carl Vinson VAMC will receive first consideration.

• The MSA was established to ensure assistance to Veterans providing a smooth process for the management of his/her outpatient appointments as well as support work in connection with the care and treatment given to the Veterans by performing a variety of support duties that facilitate the work of the clinical team to coordinate care for patients.
• The MSA will review the clinics appointment schedule to ensure that clinic utilization is optimized and effectively supports the needs of the clinics as well as the needs of the Veterans. Develop and maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary team, VA medical centers, and other agencies.
• This position includes, but is not limited to, work that requires a practical knowledge of computerized data entry and information processing systems, setting priorities and deadlines, participating and providing input in problem solving on operational issues or procedures in team meetings, performing administrative follow up actions; evaluating patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether a patient is vested; educating providers about shared patients who may be receiving care at multiple VAs or in the community, the medical facility's organization and services, rules and regulations governing eligibility and treatment, practical knowledge of the standard procedures, medical records, medical terminology, security of sensitive electronic files, process improvement, and customer service.
• MSA who work in the call center will follow the following:
  • The MSA Call Center Agent was established to ensure assistance to Veterans providing a smooth process for the management of his/her outpatient appointments as well as support work in connection with the care and treatment given to the Veterans by performing a variety of support duties that facilitate the work of an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model (e.g. PACT).
  • All incoming calls directed to the Clinical Call Center will be screened by the MSA Call Center Agent to determine whether those calls can be appropriately handled by the Agent or if they need to be directed to other team members thus improving responsiveness to Veterans questions and concerns and reducing the overall cost of care by controlling the use of resources. The MSA Call Center Agent will review the clinics appointment schedule to ensure that clinic utilization is optimized and effectively supports the needs of the clinics as well as the needs of the Veterans.
  • Develop and maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary team, VA medical centers, and other agencies.
  • This position includes, but is not limited to, scheduling, canceling, rescheduling patient appointments and/or consults, work that requires a practical knowledge of computerized data entry and information processing systems, setting priorities and deadlines, participating and providing input in problem solving on operational issues or procedures in team meetings, performing administrative follow up actions; evaluating patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether a patient is vested; educating providers about shared patients who may be receiving care at multiple VAs or in the community, the medical facility's organization and services, rules and regulations governing eligibility and treatment, practical knowledge of the standard procedures, medical records, medical terminology, security of sensitive electronic files, process improvement, and customer service.
• The MSA will be given direction and guidance by the Lead AMSA, GS-0679-7 and Supervisory AMSA, GS-0679-8.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/09/2020.
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/or Education
  • (1) Experience. Six months experience of clerical, office or other 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.

• Experience or Education
  • One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level or 4 years of education above high school.
• 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.).
• (c) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
  • Candidates must demonstrate the KSAs below:
    • 1. 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.
    • 2. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.
    • 3. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
    • 4. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties, performing patient support work.
    • 5. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers.
    • 6. Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, résumé, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.