Advanced Medical Support Assistant - Primary Care

Veterans Health Administration • Indianapolis, IN

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (A/MSA) provides technical and administrative support that facilitates the work of physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nursing assistants, and other members of the medical facility who provide direct patient care. The position is a key source of patient-care and patient-flow information and provides administrative advice and guidance as part of the patient-care team.

The A/MSA manages contact with Veterans and caregivers for scheduling, canceling, and rescheduling appointments and consults; records no-shows; prepares for clinic visits; verifies and updates demographic, eligibility, and insurance information; processes records from outside medical care; and obtains DD214 documents when needed for eligibility and benefit determination. The role uses VA scheduling systems and reports, follows scheduling protocols, makes reminder calls, and refers matters requiring immediate medical or clinical attention to the appropriate healthcare team member.

The position also supports administrative operations by maintaining program materials, helping orient and train new staff, completing work orders, preparing correspondence, and participating in scheduling and phone audits. It provides cross-coverage for other support functions, including consult processing, scanning, and front-desk coverage, to help ensure time-sensitive duties are completed when primary staff are unavailable. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Telework is not available; this is not a virtual position.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for cases where qualified citizens cannot be recruited under 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or state- or territorial-level proficiency certificate.
• One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-5, full performance) for the GS-6 Advanced Medical Support Assistant grade.
• Advanced knowledge of technical healthcare processes related to access to care, including scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care and/or care-in-the-community models and patient healthcare portals.
• Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures for interdisciplinary coordinated care and/or care-in-the-community operations affecting patient flow and administrative support, including appointment cycles, outside referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, and provider availability.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology.
• Ability to collaborate and communicate with medical clinicians across multiple disciplines to accomplish team goals and ensure patient care needs are met.
• Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines while complying with processes, policies, and regulations.
• Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively with internal and external customers electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing; this may include preparing reports, presenting data, and resolving patient concerns.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with Selective Service.
• Ability to complete a background/security investigation and the online onboarding process.
• Compliance with the Department of Veterans Affairs seasonal influenza vaccination program for healthcare personnel.
• Ability to serve a one- or two-year trial period.
• Submit a transcript with the application if using education to qualify; foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with the transcript.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with VA scheduling software and systems, including the Electronic Health Record, ISS, VS GUI, and Virtual Care Manager.
• Experience supporting health administration, including consult processing, scanning, and front-desk coverage.
• Current VHA employees in this occupation who meet the criteria may qualify under the Grandfathering Provision.
• Prior federal or military service may be considered for annual-leave accrual credit, subject to request and approval.

Responsibilities

• Contact Veterans and caregivers to schedule, cancel, and reschedule appointments and consults.
• Enter no-show information and prepare for clinic visits.
• Verify and update demographic, eligibility, and insurance information in computer systems.
• Process records from outside medical care and obtain DD214 documents as needed for eligibility and benefit determinations.
• Use VA scheduling software, including the Electronic Health Record, ISS, VS GUI, and Virtual Care Manager, to establish appointments within the appropriate desired date.
• Follow patient-outreach scheduling protocols and ensure appointments entered in ISS are accurately reflected in CPRS.
• Cancel or reschedule appointments according to established protocols and enter an informational note in CPRS.
• Call patients 24 hours before scheduled appointments to provide reminders.
• Use reports such as EARR, first-time appointment reports, consults-due reports, and other national, VISN, and locally developed reports to complete assignments.
• Refer questions requiring immediate medical or clinical attention to the appropriate healthcare team member.
• Assist with updating, developing, and maintaining program materials, packets, and other printed materials.
• Assist with orientation and on-the-job training of new staff.
• Complete work orders and contact appropriate staff to support the environment of care.
• Prepare administrative correspondence, ensuring proper formatting, spelling, grammar, current document versions, and compliance of outgoing Certified mail with USPS standards.
• Participate in scheduling and phone audits and reviews.
• Perform other administrative duties, including records management.
• Provide cross-coverage for support staff, including resulting consults, scanning, and front-desk coverage.
• Collaborate and communicate with medical clinicians across disciplines to support team goals and patient care.
• Organize and prioritize work to meet deadlines and comply with established processes, policies, and regulations.
• Communicate tactfully and effectively with internal and external customers electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing; prepare reports, present data, and help resolve patient concerns.

Benefits

• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster-care placement of a child.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to family-income and other eligibility limits; subsidy is up to 25% of eligible childcare costs, with a stated monthly maximum of $416.66.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting.
• Federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: High school or GED