Advanced Medical Support Assistant

SummaryThis Advanced Medical Support Assistant is assigned to the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) model - located at the Lawrence County VA Outpatient Clinic in New Castle - PA. The Primary Care AMSA is responsible for scheduling and managing patient appointments - as well as - interpreting and verifying provider orders. The AMSA operates computerized programs and data bases in order to enter - modify - and retrieve sensitive information from electronic medical records - scheduling systems - and reports.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)Experience - None Education - High school diploma - General Education Development equivalency certificate - or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of EducationLicensure/Certification/Registration - None Grandfathering Provision - Employees in VHA in this occupation - under a permanent - appropriate - and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard - are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held - including positive education and registration/certification where applicableFor employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed - the following provisions apply: Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standardEmployees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet 5 the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupationNOTE: This provision is not intended to regularize appointments/ placementsForeign Education - To be creditable - education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentialsEnglish Language Proficiency - Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C.7403(f)Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements - you must meet the specialized experience for the gradeAdvanced Medical Support Assistant - GS-6 ExperienceOne year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade levelExperience includes - but is not limited to: answering phones - greeting patients - relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unitscheduling - canceling - re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults - including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelinesentering no-show informationmonitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sourcesparticipating in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinicverifying and updating demographics and insurance information when patients check-in for appointmentscoordinates 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.)AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and AbilitiesCandidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines (e.gmedical 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 metAbility to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines - ensuring compliance with established processes - policies - and regulationsAbility to communicate tactfully and effectively - electronically - by phone - in person - and in writing - with internal and external customersThis may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels - as well as resolving patient concernsAdvanced 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 careAdvanced 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 - etcAdvanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by cliniciansReference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. Resume Reminder: Your resume must include the following for each job listed: 1) Job title and grade level/salaryIn order to show that you meet the experience requirements - you must document grades you have held and how long you have held them2) Duties (you must include enough detailed information to support your specialized experience)3) Month - day and year start/end dates (e.g04/02/2019 to 04/13/2020)4) Hours worked per week for all jobs listed5) Full Name and address of Employer 6) Name of Supervisor or Contact name 7) Complete phone number of Supervisor/Contact.DutiesVA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Major Duties include - but are not limited to: Makes appointments for new and follow up clinic visits for patients belonging to one or more providers in accordance with VHA Outpatient Scheduling Processes and ProceduresUses monitors such as RTC and PCMM for appointment managementResponsible for ensuring check in/out of patients through the Appointment Management software program systemParticipates in improving patient flow in the clinic which includes receiving patients/family members - processing walk- in patients - processing travel benefits - and release of records/informationAs front-line staff - the MSA resolves problems independently - to the extent possible without nursing or physician interventionDetermines eligibility and entitlement to VA medical benefitsProcess TRICARE patients as necessaryPatients are eligible Veterans and TRICARE beneficiariesEnsures all pertinent information is obtained from the patient and entered into the patient's data in the computer systemPromptly completes assignments for a variety of patients in a timely manner - demonstrating initiative and independencePractices universal precautions at all times and infection control standards - regulations - and practicesProvides assistance to patients in such a manner that potential and/or identified risks are anticipated - minimized - or eliminatedIndependently ensures that the work environment is safe - organized - restocked and that equipment is functionalCommunicates problems/concerns to supervisor as necessaryEmploys appropriate and cost- effective use of supplies and equipmentEnsures patient appointments are scheduled within designated timeframesEnsures patients are offered and educated on VVC - Phone and Telephone appointmentsParticipates in performance improvement activities and principles of Patient Aligned Care Team but are not limited toparticipating in team huddles and team meetings to manage and plan patient caresetting priorities and deadlines - adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needsEstablishes effective interaction and communication with patients - families and members of the health care teamDemonstrates knowledge - skill - and ability to recognize and respond appropriately to emergency situationsMaintains current BLS certification Provides competent patient care in a manner which ensures safety of patients - visitors - staff - and selfAnd adheres to safety standards - regulations - and practicesFollows established practices and reports to supervisor - as promptly as possible - any occupational illness or injury sustainedDocumentation contributes to planning - coordinationimplementation and evaluation of care rendered and is descriptive of the patient's behavior - condition - and responsesAll documentation is entered on the appropriate tools according to policy and guidelinesWork Schedule: Monday-Friday8:00am-4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized 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 position.