Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Summary

Incumbent serves as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) who is assigned to perform general AMSA duties as a member of a Referral Coordination Team (RCT). The RCT consists of dedicated clinical staff and clinical support staff whose primary goal is to streamline the referral process to ensure that every Veteran has a complete picture of their care options so he / she can make the most informed care decisions and schedule their appointment in VA or the community.

Duties

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The RCT AMSA is responsible for interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines to schedule, cancel, re-schedule patient's appointments and / or consults. The RCT AMSA is responsible for : entering no-show information; monitoring the Unable to Schedule entries, preparing for clinic visits; monitoring outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility; ensuring action required encounters are printed to providers in order to obtain appropriate workload credit; verifying and updating demographics and insurance information; performing basic eligibility, co-pays and preauthorization requirements for specific coverage.

Duties include, but are not limited to :

• Performs assigned duties in a manner that promotes quality health care, outstanding customer service, and the maintenance of an environment committed to serving the veteran. Reports any backlogs and any difficulties in meeting deadlines.
• Schedules appointments and manages worklists as outlined in VHA policy.
• Schedules a consult appointment for the patient. Accurately maintains the consult tracking package. Maintaining consults includes changing the consult status each time the consult is processed, such as : received and scheduled. When the clinic does not have availability, the incumbent contacts the clinical members of the RTC for treatment options (virtual care, community care, interfacility care).
• When unable to schedule the consult due to capacity and where the Veteran indicates s / he prefers VA care, the incumbent tags the consult appropriately using the "Unable to Schedule" tab in the Consult Toolbox (CTB).
• Determine Community Care eligibility by Decision Support Tool (DST) or through alternative means.
• Makes appointments more convenient for the Veteran by combining appointments when possible and giving the patient any upcoming appointments prior to leaving the clinic area.
• Ensures utilization of clinic appointments by filling open appointments slots as cancellations occur.
• Responsible to check patients in timely when seen in-person, Update patient demographics, to include address, telephone number, next-of-kin, update employment, and collect insurance information. A medication reconciliation sheet will be printed out for each patients Collects data required for Means Tests and enters accurately in Vista in the appropriate system to assure maximum third-party reimbursement and appropriate priority status. If veteran is not eligible for care due to priority status, is responsible to explain eligibility to the veteran.
• The AMSA must use various software, hardware system products, and data portals used to transfer, and capture information electronically used in the support of the daily operation of the clinic. This includes and is not limited to VistA, HSRM, CPRS (including CTB), VSE, Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB), VSSC Reports, Scheduling Manager, My Health E Vet / Secure Messaging, and Microsoft applications to accurately enter or extract information. He / she must have knowledge of commonly used medical terminology, abbreviations, and VA acronyms and their meaning.
• Responsible for initiating and carrying out a variety of clinical support duties for patient care.
• Participates in team huddles and team meetings where patient care planning and management occur.
• Assures that all visitors and telephone calls are referred in a prompt and courteous manner. Ascertains the nature of the call or the business of the visitor and determines the appropriate action. Incumbent will assist with requests for information from patients and / or staff members but when the situation cannot be resolved, refers individual to the appropriate person or service.
• The AMSA explains requirements and criteria for many different areas such as prosthetic devices, medications, dental care, outside referrals and / or community care, and any special procedure which may be necessary or requested to veterans.
• The incumbent(s) ensures confidentiality of the variety of material that will be handled by following the organization's rules and regulations governing confidentiality, including but not limited to the Privacy Act, HIPM, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and 38 U.S.C. 7332 governing the release of records containing information regarding the treatment of drug and / or alcohol abuse, Sickle Cell Anemia and infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

Work Schedule : Monday-Friday; 0800am- 1630 pm

Telework : Ad HOC only

Virtual : This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 000000

Relocation Incentives : Not Authorized

Fi nancial Disclosure Report : Not required

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

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 :

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

Basic Requirements :

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

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 :

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) GS-6

Experience : One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level, which includes, but not limited to :

AND

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities . Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below :

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06.

Physical Requirements : You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

References : VA Handbook 5005 / 117 Part II, Appendix G45

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 or 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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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.