Advanced Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • Kings, NY

7d • Onsite

About The Position

The New York Harbor VA Healthcare System is hiring one Advanced Medical Support Assistant for the Health Administration department at its Brooklyn facility. The position supports the administrative aspects of patient care, including access, appointment scheduling and coordination using advanced clinic access principles, collection and updating of demographic and insurance information, patient processing, appointment verification, health and temperature screening, and customer service.

The Advanced MSA provides specialized administrative patient support in a coordinated interdisciplinary care model. The role requires independent judgment and knowledge of clinical flow and access processes across multiple clinics, specialties, and community-care resources. The incumbent collaborates with clinical and administrative staff to support continuity of inpatient and outpatient care, maintain accurate records, monitor clinic utilization and appointment availability, and ensure compliance with changing VA directives, regulations, and local policies. The position may also direct Clinical Support Section employees when the supervisor is absent and provide coverage during special projects or heavy workloads.

This is a full-time, onsite position at the Brooklyn facility. The stated schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; ad hoc telework may be available at the hiring manager’s discretion. The work is primarily sedentary in a typical office setting, though it may involve walking, standing, sitting, bending, keyboard use, and carrying light items. Some assignments require extended computer work while speaking on a telephone headset, and patient concerns may create periods of increased stress.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is required, subject to the stated exception for recruitment of qualified citizens under VA policy.
• Six months of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative experience indicating the ability to acquire the required knowledge and skills; or one year of education above high school; or an equivalent combination of experience and education.
• One year of experience equivalent to GS-5 is required for the GS-6 Advanced MSA level.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Ability to collaborate and communicate with clinicians across multiple disciplines to support team goals and patient care.
• Ability to independently prioritize and organize work to meet deadlines and comply with processes, policies, and regulations.
• Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively with internal and external customers electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing, including preparing reports, presenting data, and addressing patient concerns.
• Advanced knowledge of healthcare processes related to access to care, including scheduling across coordinated-care models and patient portals.
• Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures affecting patient flow and administrative support, including appointment cycles, outside referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, and provider availability.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology.
• Must meet federal pre-employment requirements, including a background/security investigation and required onboarding documentation.
• Must participate in the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to written certification for continued employment.
• Education used to qualify must be from an institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education; foreign education must be evaluated as specified by the VA.

Nice To Haves

• Experience scheduling appointments.
• Customer service experience in a healthcare, clinic, or call center environment.
• Experience using electronic scheduling and patient information systems.
• Experience communicating with patients, providers, and staff.
• Experience managing multiple priorities and applying established scheduling policies and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Independently manage work, set priorities and deadlines, and adjust workflow to meet team and patient needs.
• Review active and pending consults, recall lists, VetLink, and kiosk communications daily for accuracy and disposition.
• Coordinate administrative services for veterans, family members, caregivers, the public, and clinical and administrative staff to support continuity of care.
• Ensure health and administrative information is integrated into CPRS by sending documents for scanning.
• Maintain effective working relationships with clinical and administrative staff to determine priorities in support of patient care.
• Distribute and balance employee workloads according to workflow or specialization and ensure timely completion of assigned work.
• Direct Clinical Support Section employees when the supervisor is absent.
• Provide coverage as a Program Support Assistant (Care Facilitator) or Medical Support Assistant during special projects, heavy workloads, leave, vacancies, or staff details to other areas.
• Complete personnel reports and rosters and maintain supplies and forms.
• Coordinate compliance and standardization with changing VHA directives, regulations, local policies, and Advanced Clinic Access principles.
• Conduct special audits, studies, or surveys to help develop procedures and support complete, appropriate data collection and revenue reporting.
• Interpret and communicate VHA Scheduling Directive requirements and perform accurate scheduling.
• Use available resources to schedule appointments accurately and promptly.
• Assist with processing Veterans travel payment vouchers for the Beneficiary Travel Program and Health Benefits Unit.
• Serve as a technical advisor and liaison with contacts at all levels.
• Explain regulations and eligibility criteria concerning veterans’ entitlements and VA benefits, care priorities, access to care, and advanced clinic access.
• Coordinate with care teams to monitor clinic appointment availability and adjust schedules as needed.
• Communicate with patients, interdisciplinary teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies, including supporting inpatient-to-outpatient transitions, communicating with non-VA facilities, preparing patient correspondence, and managing follow-up systems.
• Process incoming patient secure messages through MyHealtheVet and coordinate them with the care team as appropriate.
• Participate in team huddles and meetings to plan, solve problems, and follow up on patient care.
• Identify incomplete encounters and communicate findings to providers as needed.
• Enter appropriate information into the electronic record and monitor pre-appointment information and requirements for visit or procedure readiness.
• Verify and validate patient-system information, resolve issues, and identify patients who may need immediate appointments.
• Inform team members about patients receiving care at multiple VA centers or through community care.
• Assist teams in reinforcing care plans and self-help solutions.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be considered for higher or unique qualifications or VA special needs.
• 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.
• After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with birth, adoption, or foster 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.
• Traditional federal pension, with five-year vesting, and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in VA contributions.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.
• Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to request and approval.

What This Job Offers

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