Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant serves as an initial point of contact for patients; schedules medical appointments; tracks, reviews and responds to electronic orders, consults and other elements in the electronic medical record and medical systems. This position is located in Primary Care, VA Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN. 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. Must possess one of the following: High School diploma or transcript (including homeschooling) General Education Development (GED) certificate Proficiency certificate issued by a State or Territorial Board or Department of Education Post-high school education 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 Specialized Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade. Examples of creditable experience include but are not limited to: answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit; scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults; entering no-show information; 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. Coordinating 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.). Knowledge, Skills and Abilities . In addition to meeting the experience requirement, candidates must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): 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. 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. Reference For more information on this qualification standard, please visit The full performance level for this occupation is GS-5. This position is above the Full Performance Level. Physical Requirements See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements. #J-18808-Ljbffr US Department of Veterans Affairs