Advanced Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • Seattle, WA

10d • Onsite

About The Position

Puget Sound VA Medical Center is hiring Advanced Medical Support Assistants for its main Seattle, Washington campus and the Oxbow location. Positions may be assigned to any medical center department or service line with a staffing need. The announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies for up to 90 days.

Advanced Medical Support Assistants provide administrative support to clinical colleagues in caring for Veterans. They help deliver efficient, timely, accurate, and accessible health care by handling patient eligibility, enrollment, registration, scheduling, records, communications, and related administrative processes. The typical work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; available shifts will be discussed during the interview. Some assignments supporting inpatient units and wards may involve day, evening, night, or weekend shifts.

This is a permanent, non-virtual position. Telework is not available. The full performance level is GS-6. Recruitment or relocation incentives and permanent change-of-station relocation assistance are not authorized.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is generally required; non-citizens may be appointed only when qualified citizens cannot be recruited in accordance with VA policy.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• High school diploma or equivalent, with acceptable documentation of completion.
• One year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-5 in an advanced or complex clinical setting, including use of numerous advanced patient care systems, scheduling across multiple clinics, coordination of services among diverse medical providers and clinics (including outside agencies), advanced medical terminology, and knowledge of health care processes, policies, and procedures related to care coordination.
• At the GS-6 level, education cannot substitute for the required specialized experience.
• Ability to collaborate and communicate with medical clinicians across multiple disciplines to support team goals and patient care.
• 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 includes 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 for interdisciplinary coordinated care and 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.
• Must complete a background/security investigation, onboarding, and pre-employment requirements, including a physical evaluation.
• Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program as a condition of employment.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to evaluation and written certification for continued employment.

Responsibilities

• Determine health care eligibility for Veteran patients.
• Process Veteran enrollment, benefits, and registration activities.
• Counsel Veteran patients about health care benefit enrollment and other special programs.
• Obtain essential information and documentation from Veteran patients for enrollment activities.
• Schedule, cancel, and reschedule Veteran patient appointments.
• Facilitate communication between Veterans and facility consult departments.
• Provide administrative support to inpatient units and wards, potentially across day, evening, night, and weekend shifts.
• Process and maintain inpatient medical records.
• Perform manual and electronic data entry.
• Collate statistical information and prepare Veteran patient statistics.
• Enter physician orders and consult requests.
• Provide reception for incoming and outgoing customers and handle communications.
• Use Microsoft Office software to compile data and formulate reports.

Benefits

• Competitive salary with regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be considered based on qualifications or VA needs.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, comprising 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to approval.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment in connection with birth, adoption, or foster placement.
• 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 VA contributions of up to 5%.
• 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: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED