Medical Support Assistant - Community Care

SummaryNOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information - refer to Required Documents below. The incumbent serves as a Medical Support Assistant (MSA) in the VA Community Care team. Performs clerical and administrative support in the coordination - care - and treatment provided to patients throughout the VA Community Care processes in the Fargo VA Health Care System (VAHCS) - including all Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs).QualificationsBasic Requirements:Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.)Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C.7407(a)*ExperienceNo experience required*EducationHigh school diploma - General Education Development equivalency certificate - or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of EducationLicensure/Certification/RegistrationNone Physical RequirementsSee VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Service for requirementsSee VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Service for requirementsEnglish Language ProficiencyCandidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C.7403(f)Foreign EducationTo 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. programsGrade Determinations: Medical Support Assistant - GS-3 Grade Experience or Education (Entry Level): None beyond the basic requirementsMedical Support Assistant - GS-4 Grade Experience (Developmental Level): One year of experience in 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 positionOR Education: One year of education above high schoolAND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs): Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: 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 patientsAbility to use - and navigate between - various types of office automation equipment and software (i.e. - computer systems - web-based scheduling programsinsurance collection systemscanning software - multiple line phone systemselectronic faxing programs) to support patient careKnowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patientsSkill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinicsMedical Support Assistant - GS-5 Grade Experience (Full Performance Level): One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade levelOR - Education: Two years of education above high schoolAND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs): Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: 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 reportsAdvanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patientsAbility to schedule medical appointments in a clinical settingAbility to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support workAbility to communicate effectively and professionally in person - electronically - and/or by telephone - with internal and external customersSkill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns - and refer to the appropriate staff - as necessary - to ensure a satisfactory resolutionReference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this positionQuestions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.DutiesVA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Responsible for answering phones - greeting patients - relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside the unit - scheduling appointments - including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines and community care processesScheduling - canceling - rescheduling patient appointments and/or consultsentering no show informationmonitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sourcesParticipating in huddles with other MSAs and/or VACC staff to determine the daily needs of the team - monitoring outpatient appointments in areas of responsibilityVerifying and updating demographics and insurance information when patients opt in for community careCoordinates administrative functions relating to emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilitiesor private hospitals and determines appointment type based on the patients eligibility statusEnsures the integrity of various databases - and date used in the management of administrative and customer service within the departmentUnderstands and appropriately utilizes the administrative support packages - to include but not limited to: Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) - REFDOCS - ROI - VA Online Scheduling (VAOS) - VIsta - Contractor portal - PPMS - HSRMIndependently recognizes the urgency of the consults and schedules care in accordanceWork Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increasesWhen 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 experienceParental 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 childChild 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 $416.66Retirement: 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) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual positionFunctional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized