Medical Support Assistant

Summary

This position is located under the Health Administration Service (HAS). This position continually supports the mission, vision, and values of the VA Healthcare System. The Medical Support Assistant provides medical administrative support to Veterans Hospitals and Clinics throughout HAS. The Medical Support Assistant is responsible for accurate appointment management and the coordination of all administrative information between the professional staff and the patient.

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Duties

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VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant:

The Medical Support Assistant (MSA) plays a critical role in coordination patient care across various healthcare services, ensuring seamless scheduling and support within the VA System. This position requires strong attention to detail, the ability to manage multiple task efficiently, and a commitment to providing excellent patient service. Medical Support Assistant Duties consist of but are not limited to the following:

Performs data entry, updates and verifies demographic information, no-show information.

• Schedules appointments and collects insurance information.
• Initiates and carries out a variety of administrative duties in support of patient care.
• Responsible for checking patients in upon arrival.
• Coordinates with team members to assure that patients are seen at their scheduled time within the clinic setting.
• Receives incoming calls placed to the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System.
• Supports the administrative and clinical service programs by capacity of liaison between patients and team members.

Work Schedule : The Bay Pines VA Medical Center is a 24/7 operation and has openings for various shifts.

Available tours are listed below: 6:30am-3:00pm, 7:00am-3:30pm, 7:30am-4:00pm, 8:00am-4:30pm, 8:30am-5:00pm to include weekend and holiday coverage.

Telework : Not available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 21826F

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not available

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not available

PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not available

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• Your performance and conduct;
• The needs and interests of the agency;
• Whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• Whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

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.
• English Language Proficiency. MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.

Basic Experience and Education:

• Experience. None
• Education: Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• Certification. None required.
• Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs.

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 :

GS-0679-05

Experience or Education.

Experience . One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade which include but is 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 action related to patient care and services, and scheduling appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines, refer all questions regarding medical attention to the appropriate health care team member.

OR,

Education . Two years of education above high school. (Transcripts must be submitted as part of the application)

Candidates must demonstrate (on the resume) all of the KSAs below:

1) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.

2) Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

3) 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.

4) Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.

5) Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work.

6) Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers.

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..

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-05.

Physical Requirements. The physical demands of the work are generally minor. The work is primarily sedentary (6-8 hrs.) although, there is some walking (1 hr.), bending (1hr), and carrying of bulky files (1-10 lbs.) and some extended periods of standing (2 hrs.).

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit:

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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