Clarification from the agency

1st Area of Consideration - Current Facility and CBOC employees 2nd Area of Consideration - VA Nationwide applicants 3rd Area of Consideration - All other eligible candidates

Advanced MSAs perform receptionist, customer service, and administrative duties while independently setting priorities and organizing work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations. They 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.


Additional duties include but are not limited to:

• Schedules, re-schedules, and cancels patient appointments and may coordinate outpatient services;
• Coordinates with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability to ensure that clinic schedules are closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinics, and makes adjustments as necessary;
• Processes incoming patient secure messaging and coordinates with care team as appropriate;
• Participates in team huddles and team meetings to manage, plan, problem solve and follow-up with patient care;
• Identifies incomplete encounters and communicates findings to providers;
• Enters appropriate information into the electronic record;
• Monitors pre-appointment information and/or requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure;
• Manages patient systems to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues;
• Evaluates patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether the patient requires an immediate appointment;
• May run various reports (ie appointment schedules, consult, cancellation, or follow-up reports).

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 11:00am-7:30pm
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

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.

(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.

• Certification. None required.
• Grandfathering Provision. All MSAs employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held
• Physical Requirements: Work requires some walking, standing, and bending, throughout the assigned unit, although it is considered primarily sedentary. Sitting is required for typing and data entry. He/she answers the phone and types on the computer keyboard from a seated position. Some light carrying of forms, medical records or supplies to various locations of the Prosthetics Area or medical center may be necessary, but nothing over 10 pounds.
• English Language Proficiency. Medical Support Assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Policy.

Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met.
Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-6
(a) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. This experience includes, but is not limited to, scheduling medical appointments in a clinical setting and modifying electronic health records with an advanced knowledge of medical terminology and skill in customer service;
(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition, you must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
1. 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.
2. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.
(d) Assignment. The Advanced MSA provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Work involves specialized administrative judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or care in the community resources. Recommends changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines. Expertise in utilizing numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics involved in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Coordinates with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability (utilization) to ensure that clinic schedules are closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinics and makes adjustments as necessary. MSAs at this level develop and/or maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies (e.g., assist with communications during the inpatient to outpatient discharge; communicate with non-VA medical facilities; prepare correspondence to notify patients of normal lab results; manage a system for follow-up care such as consults, tests, etc.).

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).

References: VA Handbook 5005/117 Part II, Appendix G45

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

Physical Requirements: The work is performed in a clinic setting with daily contact with patients. The work is primarily sedentary but does require a good amount of walking, standing and ambulation of a flight of stairs.

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.