Advanced Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • Reno, NV

4d

About The Position

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) is assigned to the VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System Community Care Service and performs duties related to eligibility, preferences, scheduling, provider interaction, and customer service. The Community Care Program serves eligible Veterans through community providers in settings including emergent, inpatient, outpatient, and extended care. The AMSA supports consult teams using an interdisciplinary coordinated care model and works with Community Care nurses, clinicians, specialty care teams, facility staff, and community providers to coordinate access to care and meet patient needs.

The position coordinates incoming telephone calls and responds to inquiries, assesses caller needs, independently determines appropriate actions, coordinates care, assists with appointment scheduling, and directs problem resolution. The AMSA maintains Community Care appointment schedules; confirms community providers accept VA patients and payments; prepares pre-appointment documents; schedules appropriate levels of care; and records scheduling information in the appropriate consult. The AMSA obtains documentation from community providers, scans it into the appropriate consult in CPRS, and alerts VA providers to support continuity of care.

The position requires protection of printed and electronic sensitive data in accordance with the Privacy Act and other applicable laws, regulations, statutes, and VA and VHA policies. The position is primarily sedentary. Work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Ad hoc telework may be available as determined by office policies; this is not a virtual position.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Meet the basic experience or education requirement: six months of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work; one year of education above high school; or an equivalent combination of experience and education.
• For the GS-6 grade: one year of specialized experience equivalent to the MSA GS-5 grade level.
• Collaborate and communicate with medical clinicians across multiple disciplines to accomplish team goals and ensure patient care needs are met.
• Independently set priorities and organize 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 and present data as needed; and resolve patient concerns.
• Demonstrate advanced knowledge of technical healthcare processes, including scheduling in interdisciplinary coordinated care or community care models and patient healthcare portals as they relate to access to care.
• Demonstrate advanced knowledge of policies and procedures affecting patient flow and administrative support functions, including appointment cycles, outside referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, and provider availability.
• Demonstrate advanced knowledge of medical terminology.
• Meet applicable background and security investigation requirements and complete the online onboarding process and required application documentation.
• Participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Serve a one- or two-year trial period, with continued employment subject to written certification that it advances the public interest.

Nice To Haves

• One year of experience navigating electronic medical record systems.
• One year of experience providing healthcare customer service to internal and external customers.
• Familiarity with medical terminology.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office programs, including Outlook, Teams, Excel, Word, and SharePoint.

Responsibilities

• Support consult teams using an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model.
• Understand patient needs, assess possible courses of action, and take appropriate measures to ensure patient satisfaction.
• Work collaboratively with medical center programs, services, and multidisciplinary team members to provide access to care and meet clinical and administrative patient-care needs.
• Coordinate incoming telephone calls, identify patient or caller needs, make independent decisions, coordinate care, assist with scheduling, and direct problem resolution as appropriate.
• Work with Community Care nurses and other clinical providers to ensure patients' health needs are met.
• Maintain Community Care appointment schedules and communicate with community providers to confirm they accept VA patients and payments.
• Prepare required pre-appointment documents, schedule the appropriate level of care, and document schedules in the appropriate consult.
• Obtain medical documentation from community providers, scan it into the appropriate consult in CPRS, and alert VA providers to support continuity of care.
• Collaborate with Community Care nurses, Specialty Care teams, and facility staff on patient care coordination issues.
• Schedule Veteran appointments with community providers using CPRS, VistA, or other software scheduling options.
• Use a global knowledge base to provide timely and appropriate telephone referrals or problem resolution.
• Work cooperatively to implement the organization's mission and goals.
• Protect printed and electronic files containing sensitive data in accordance with applicable privacy laws, regulations, and VA and VHA policies.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Federal employees and their families have access to a comprehensive benefits package.
• Eligible employees may receive credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to request and approval before appointment.

What This Job Offers

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