Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Medical Support Assistant

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model in PACT or specialty care setting where the PACT model is used and may be required to serve on more than one team. The incumbent is able to independently manage position responsibilities with little supervision as well as set priorities and deadlines adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs. As front-line contact with patients and staff, the incumbent sets the tone for perception concerning quality of healthcare services at the VA. He/she must determine the nature of requests and provide the information desired using privacy rules and established clinic processes. A high degree of tact and diplomacy is required when dealing with veterans who have multiple health problems and who may be frustrated with the administrative process associated with diagnosis and treatment. Responsible for the proper and timely treatment of patients and maintains appointment schedules for one or more outpatient clinics. He/she must review the clinic utilization by using various reports (e.g., Clinic Utilization Statistical Summary) and assist with clinic access contingency plans by adjusting appointment times, location, or dates as well as shift patients to other healthcare providers as conflict with staffing and/or coverage occurs. The incumbent will notify his/her supervisor when clinic access is outside established performance guidelines or if an individual patient cannot be scheduled within mandated clinic timeframes and/or by the patient's desired date. He/she will work with the team to reinforce the plan of care by entering appropriate information into the electronic record (when directed) and through monitoring pre-appointment requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure (e.g., X-ray, lab work). The incumbent will schedule appointments in accordance with current established VA/VHA Directives, Handbooks, policies and procedures. The incumbent will daily review active/pending consults, Electronic Wait List, and Recall List reports for accuracy and disposition. All appointments will be made with the patient's input or based on instructions from the clinic provider or other appropriate clinic staff. This may require a high level of coordination to avoid patients having to make multiple trips to the medical center or clinic whenever possible. The incumbent is responsible for notifying the provider or other appropriate clinical staff if scheduling instructions are contrary to current established VA/VHA Directives, Handbooks, policies and procedures. Scheduling instruction conflicts which cannot be appropriately resolved within teamlet must be elevated to the MSA's supervisor. Supports patient safety standards using the correct Veterans Affairs identification of all patients through the use of two forms of identification, name and full Social Security Number. The patient may also present the Veterans Identification Card (VIC) for identification. He/she must use each interaction with the patient to validate and update patient demographic information, either in person during check-in or over the phone, to decrease the incidence of returned mail due to incorrect addresses and inability to contact patient by phone due to incorrect number. Additional duties or tasks may be assigned.