Medical Support Assistant

Medical Support Assistant

The incumbent serves as a Medical Support Assistant in the Community Care Section at the Tennessee Valley VA Health Care System. The incumbent supports Community Care operations, focusing on the coordination of care provided by external healthcare providers. Duties involve the receipt, intake, and indexing of health and administrative information. Responsibilities include : scheduling, canceling, and rescheduling patient appointments and consults, preparing for Community Care visits by ensuring necessary documents are available and encounter forms are completed. The incumbent verifies and updates patient demographics and insurance information, performs basic eligibility checks, co-pays, and pre-authorization requirements for specific coverage. The incumbent also ensures timely coordination between VA providers and external community care providers, records patient messages, and responds to physician requests related to follow-up care in Community Care settings. The incumbent interacts courteously with patients and their families, addressing inquiries and providing information about referrals, eligibility, and care coordination. The incumbent also assists staff, patients, and other interdisciplinary staff to resolve day-to-day conflicts.

Work Schedule : Monday-Friday 8 : 00am-4 : 30pm

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)

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)

Requirements :

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12 / 31 / 1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background / security investigation.

Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements.

Qualifications : 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 and Education. 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.

Certification. None required.

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.

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-05 Medical Support Assistant (Full Performance Level) : Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level; OR, Education. Four years of education above high school. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. 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 reports.

Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.

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.

Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

Note : You must provide detailed information of your experience performed. Information such as "I was a Medical Support Assistant" is insufficient to determine your qualifications. Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start / end dates AND hour worked per week.