The incumbent serves as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) under the scheduling section of the Health Administration Service for the Finger Lakes VHA in support of the following location: Rochester Calkins Road CBOC, Rochester Clinton Crossings CBOC. They may be assigned to a VHA Patient Aligned Care Team, Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program, Mental Health Team, Ancillary Services, Call Center Team, Medical Services, or Specialty Care Setting within VA Finger Lakes.
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.j. Experience. Six months experience of 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 position; OR, Education. One year above high school; OR Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable. Grade Determinations: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non - VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting. Experience to the next lower grade includes but not limited to: Scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling medical patient appointments and or consults, entering no show information. Monitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sources. Participating in huddles with other MSA's and or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinic. Verifying and updating demographics and insurance information when patients check in for appointments. In addition to meeting the grade requirements you must be able to demonstrate the following KSA's Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate [all of] the KSAs below: i. 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. ii. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients. iii. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting. iv. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work. v. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers. vi. Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06.Physical Requirements: The work is administrative which requires standing, walking, sitting, stooping, bending, lifting light objects, answering telephone and data entry in VISTA/CPRS
VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Medical Support Assistant: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-MSA-VA-Career-Flyer.pdf The work includes functions such as serving as an initial point of contact for the units, clinics, patient, call centers, interdisciplinary teams, to include, but not limited to, scheduling patient appointments, tracking, reviewing, and responding to electronic orders, consults, and other elements in the electronic medical record and medical systems. This series includes work that requires a practical knowledge of computerized data entry, information processing systems and software related to patient care, the healthcare system's organization and services, basic rules and regulations governing visitors and patient treatment, knowledge of standard procedures, utilizing medical records, and medical terminology. The Advanced MSA provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in or in support of an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Processes incoming patient secure messaging through secure messaging portal and coordinates with care team as appropriate; participates in team huddles and team meetings to manage, plan, problem solve, and follow-up with patient care by sharing information and collaborating with the interdisciplinary team; setting priorities and deadlines, adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs; identifies incomplete encounters and communicates findings to providers; as needed; assists the team to reinforce the plan of care and self-help solutions; enters appropriate information into the electronic record; monitors pre-appointment information and/or requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure; manages patient systems to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues; evaluates patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether the patient requires an immediate appointment; informs team members about shared patients i.e., those who receive their care at multiple [VA centers] or those who receive care in the community. Other duties as assigned Work Schedule: 7:30am - 4pm Monday - Friday Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 37141-F Physical Demands: The work is administrative which requires standing, walking, sitting, stooping, bending, lifting light objects, answering telephone and data entry in VISTA/CPRS Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases 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)