Advanced Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • Columbia, SC

11d • Onsite

About The Position

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant serves as a Consult Coordinator for Community Care and collaborates with interdisciplinary health care teams and VA and non-VA providers, hospitals, diagnostic and treating facilities, and community-based programs. The position provides specialized administrative patient support within an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model, supporting timely treatment and access to care.

The MSA performs clerical and customer-service duties, including maintaining Community Care appointment schedules; confirming that community providers accept VA patients and payments; preparing pre-appointment documents; scheduling the appropriate level of care; documenting schedules in consults; obtaining medical documentation from community providers; scanning it into the appropriate consult in CPRS; and alerting VA providers to support continuity of care. The role coordinates care between customers and providers, processes consults according to Office of Community Care procedures, and enters required authorizations using the correct Fund Control Point or obligation number and cost estimates.

The position also requires advanced administrative judgment and knowledge of clinical flow, scheduling, patient systems, care-in-the-community processes, and access-to-care procedures. Work includes coordinating with care teams, monitoring appointments and follow-up, communicating with patients and internal and external customers, and contributing to team planning and problem-solving. The position is in person; telework and virtual work are not available. The stated schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., subject to change based on agency needs.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, except that non-citizens may be appointed when recruiting qualified citizens is not possible under VA policy.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level.
• 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 established processes, policies, and regulations.
• Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing with internal and external customers; this may include preparing reports, presenting data, and resolving patient concerns.
• Advanced knowledge of technical health care processes related to access to care, including interdisciplinary scheduling, care-in-the-community 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 pass a pre-employment physical evaluation and background/security investigation.
• Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must complete the required application and onboarding processes and serve a one- or two-year trial period.
• Education may not be substituted for experience.

Nice To Haves

• Three years of health care and/or customer service experience preferred.
• One year of health care experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Maintain appointment schedules for Community Care.
• Communicate with Community Care providers to confirm they accept VA patients and payments.
• Prepare required pre-appointment documents and schedule the appropriate level of care.
• Document schedules in the appropriate consult.
• Obtain medical documentation from community providers, scan it into the appropriate CPRS consult, and alert VA providers to support continuity of care.
• Coordinate internal and external care between customers and providers.
• Process consults according to Office of Community Care procedures and guidelines.
• Enter required authorizations using the correct Fund Control Point or obligation number and cost estimates.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary care teams and providers to support timely patient care and access to care.
• Coordinate with care teams to review appointment availability, monitor schedules, and make adjustments as needed.
• Communicate with patients, VA medical centers, non-VA medical facilities, and other agencies, including supporting transitions from inpatient to outpatient care and follow-up.
• Participate in team huddles and meetings to share information, plan, solve problems, and follow up on patient care.
• Set priorities and deadlines and adjust work sequencing to meet team and patient needs.
• Identify incomplete encounters and communicate findings to providers as needed.
• Enter appropriate information into the electronic record and monitor pre-appointment requirements for visit or procedure readiness.
• Manage patient systems to validate accuracy and resolve issues, and evaluate patient information and clinic schedules to identify patients who may need immediate appointments.
• Inform team members about patients who receive care at multiple VA centers or in the community.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including annual leave, sick leave, and paid federal holidays.
• Selected applicants may qualify for additional annual leave accrual credit based on prior work or military service experience, subject to approval.
• 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 child care subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed