Medical Support Assistant

Summary This position is in the Care in the Community Service at VA Central Texas Health Care System (CTXVHCS) - Temple - Texas. The work requires a basic degree of judgment in responding to both employee - patient - vendor concerns and providing solutions to process problems. The MSA can independently perform position responsibilities with frequent supervision and demonstrates the ability to follow set priorities and deadlines - adjusting the flow and sequence of work to meet team and/or patient needs. Summary This position is in the Care in the Community Service at VA Central Texas Health Care System (CTXVHCS) - Temple - Texas. The work requires a basic degree of judgment in responding to both employee - patient - vendor concerns and providing solutions to process problems. The MSA can independently perform position responsibilities with frequent supervision and demonstrates the ability to follow set priorities and deadlines - adjusting the flow and sequence of work to meet team and/or patient needs. 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 Experience No experience required Education High school diploma - General Education Development equivalency certificate - or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education 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 Licensure/Certification/Registration None Physical Requirements See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements English Language Proficiency Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f) 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) 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-3: None beyond the basic requirements GS-4: Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-3) Experience includes - but is not limited to: applying general rules and policies relating to clinic functions - staff - and automated data processing methods in support of treatment to patients utilize a variety of patient data systems in scheduling patients for treatment and annotates patient records perform front desk duties - receives telephone call - and visitors to the MSA unit make and cancel appointments - review patient records for necessary information - and review patient demographics and insurance verification consult with clinic staff when processing physician scheduling and administrative orders. OR - Education: One year of education above high school (Transcript Required) Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics Ability to meet - communicate - and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and other health care team members in a courteous and helpful manner in order to facilitate medical care for patients Ability to use - and navigate between - various types of office automation equipment and software (i.e computer systems - web based scheduling programs insurance collection system scanning software - multiple line phone systems electronic faxing programs) to support patient care GS-5: Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-4) Experience includes - 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 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 actions related to patient care and services and scheduling appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. OR - Education: Two years of education above high school (Transcript Required) Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns - and refer to the appropriate staff - as necessary - to ensure a satisfactory resolution 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 Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person - electronically - and/or by telephone - with internal and external customers Preferred Experience: Ability to work independently to accomplish a wide variety of duties - including setting priorities - care coordination tasks - and organizing workflow Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively - both orally and in writing - to meet program objectives This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various teams Ability to gather and trend data to determine efficiency of internal processes at the Team /Pod level Ability to operate computerized programs and databases to enter - modify and retrieve sensitive information/data into or from electronic medical records - scheduling systems and/or reports Excel most importantly Independently utilizes reference sources - decision making and team work to collaborate and resolve problems within a complex systems environment Ability to identify customer's concerns - perform the tasks required to resolve the issue accurately and timely - and follow-up as necessary to ensure a satisfactory resolution Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-05 The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-03 to GS-05 Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary Some work may require movement between offices - hospitals - warehouses - and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work Work may also require walking/standing - in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds Duties Major duties include - but are not limited to: Receive phone calls utilizing the Automated Call Distribution (ACD) system from Veterans - family members - community providers - internal VA staff - etc providing excellent customer service Make initial phone calls to Veterans to determine if they opt in/out of community care Make phone calls to Veterans/community vendors/ facilities to verify attendance at scheduled appointments - answer questions - and resolve basic issues Document phone calls in the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) following established guidelines Process Faxes timely by following the established Stand of Work with appropriate Enterprise Precision Scanning & Indexing actions taken Effectively action community care consults - schedule appointments - resolve issues - and ensure ongoing patient (and vendor) satisfaction Establish collaborative relationships with VA providers and their staff to ensure efficient communication and problem resolution related to CITC requests to expedite timely approval Establish collaborative relationships with Contractor staff to ensure efficient communication and problem resolution related to CITC requests Participate in meetings to identify and resolve issues that impact continuity of care for patients who are receiving CITC care Identify issues for process improvement and actively participates in service or facility[1]level process improvement activities/teams Utilize various computer equipment - software packages and systems - VISTA - Microsoft Office - CPRS - HSRM - and troubleshoot minor problems Assist peers in troubleshooting problems or issues with software or systems used daily Remain proficient and abreast of changes in processes and procedures involved in CITC by researching and completing training opportunities to improve technical knowledge and enhance role performance Develop and maintain expertise to serve as a resource within area of assignment Participate in scheduling training events Serve as a resource and advocate in the protection of Veteran/family and staff rights Follow established guidelines for medical record management involving release of information Keep CITC RNs/LVNs/supervisor aware of identified patient care issues and family concerns Identify ways to resolve problems/needs and facilitates achieving of desired outcomes Perform other duties as assigned to accomplish the mission of the program or the service Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 0730 - 1600 Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade) Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66 Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Functional Statement #:53382F - 53383F - 53384F #J-18808-Ljbffr U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs