Advanced Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • Aspinwall, PA

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The H. John Heinz III VA Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is recruiting an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) for Community Care. The AMSA provides specialized administrative patient support and works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. The role requires administrative judgment and flexible use of clinical flow processes to support access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and community-care resources.

The AMSA schedules and manages community appointments, answers direct calls and phone-queue calls, confirms appointments, retrieves medical records, and helps Veterans, family members, and community representatives navigate Community Care processes. The position uses VISTA and other specialized scheduling programs, including GUI and ISS, and involves coordinating with clinical staff and supporting patient flow.

This is a non-virtual position with no telework. The work schedule is 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Work is primarily sedentary in an office setting and may involve lifting or carrying light loads such as files and records. The full-performance and selected grade is GS-6.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA policy exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or state or territorial proficiency certificate.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level in medical support assistant work.
• Ability to collaborate and communicate with medical clinicians across multiple disciplines to accomplish team goals.
• Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines and comply with processes, policies, and regulations.
• Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively by electronic means, phone, in person, and in writing with internal and external customers.
• Advanced knowledge of healthcare processes related to scheduling, interdisciplinary care delivery, community-care models, and patient health-care 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 VA pre-employment conditions, including background/security investigation, onboarding requirements, and participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to written certification for continued employment.
• Must complete all application requirements detailed in the announcement's Required Documents section.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with VA policies and procedures.
• Experience with electronic medical record systems for scheduling, documentation, and care coordination.
• Experience with patient flow, appointment coordination, and interdisciplinary team collaboration.
• Skills in de-escalation, triage, and handling sensitive or complex situations.

Responsibilities

• Schedule, cancel, and reschedule patient appointments and consults, including community-care appointments.
• Answer phones and phone-queue calls, greet patients, and relay messages to appropriate staff inside or outside the unit.
• Confirm appointments and retrieve medical records.
• Assist Veterans, family members, and community representatives in navigating Community Care processes.
• Manage scheduling menus in VISTA and schedule appointments using GUI, ISS, and other specialized scheduling programs.
• Enter no-show information and monitor appointment requests from multiple electronic sources.
• Interpret and verify provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines.
• Participate in huddles with MSAs and clinic staff to determine daily clinic needs and monitor appointments in areas of responsibility.
• Verify and update patient demographics and insurance information at appointment check-in.
• Coordinate administrative functions related to emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals.
• Determine appointment type based on patient eligibility status.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary clinical staff to support patient care and access to services.
• Set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines while complying with established processes, policies, and regulations.
• Communicate with internal and external customers, respond to patient concerns, and prepare or present reports and data as needed.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be considered for higher or unique qualifications or VA 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 the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child.
• Eligible full-time employees with qualifying family income may receive a child care subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to program limits and eligibility rules.
• 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 may be carried into retirement.
• Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to approval.

What This Job Offers

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