Medical Support Assistant (Adv

Veterans Health Administration • Amarillo, TX

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) serves the VA Community Care Service (VACC) at the Amarillo VA Health Care System, which serves Veterans in the Texas Panhandle and three adjoining states. The AMSA is the primary administrative contact and process expert for non-VA medical care, Community Care Network, and Veterans Care Agreements. The position provides accurate information to staff, patients, and community care providers and supports continuity of care for Veterans receiving community care.

The AMSA reviews and processes community care requests, confirms eligibility and administrative completeness, coordinates consults and authorizations, tracks referrals and payment authority, schedules appointments, and follows up with providers and patients. The role also supports privacy-compliant exchange of medical records, resolves service and scheduling issues, orients and mentors staff, and uses VA and other computer systems to carry out daily work. Work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This is a permanent, non-virtual position; telework is not available.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception under VA policy 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.
• For GS-06: one year of experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level.
• 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 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 resolving patient concerns and preparing or presenting reports and data.
• Advanced knowledge of technical health care processes, including scheduling across coordinated care and community care models and patient health care portals.
• Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures affecting patient flow and administrative support, including appointment cycles, referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, and provider availability.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology.
• Must complete a background/security investigation, onboarding requirements, and required application 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.
• Physical requirements are typical for the occupation and generally do not require a pre-placement examination.

Nice To Haves

• Twelve months of experience in a clinical environment coordinating patient schedules, such as scheduling appointments or coordinating consults.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology, including documenting or reading administrative notes in medical charts.
• Customer service experience involving de-escalation, problem solving, decision making, and tactful communication.
• Twelve months of clerical experience using computer applications and a multi-line phone system.
• Experience with workload reports and data collection, including meeting deadlines, setting priorities, and organizing workloads.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work well in groups.

Responsibilities

• Verify requests for non-VA medical care and ensure required administrative actions are complete.
• Review community care requests for placement in NVCC, CCN, or VCA programs, determining eligibility, completeness, accuracy, and urgency.
• Serve as the primary administrative contact and process expert for non-VA medical care, Community Care Network, and Veterans Care Agreements.
• Provide staff with information about non-VA care locations, provider contacts, appointments, processes, and basic authorizations.
• Provide customer service to community care providers, answer questions, resolve complaints, and obtain medical records in a timely manner.
• Receive consults, obtain approvals or disapprovals, submit authorizations, track VACC basis requests, and monitor payment authority and eligibility.
• Maintain a tracking system and follow up on consults submitted to community care providers.
• Collaborate with providers and patients to resolve scheduling issues.
• Schedule non-count, non-VA appointments using HSRM scheduling options connected to VistA scheduling.
• Follow required outpatient scheduling training and established processes for release and confidentiality of patient information.
• Ensure accurate accounting of released records in accordance with privacy regulations and requirements.
• Collaborate with vendors to resolve issues related to community care processes.
• Participate in meetings to identify and resolve issues affecting continuity of care.
• Orient new service staff to the NVCC and VA Mission Act program when requested, and mentor coworkers and other staff.
• Use and troubleshoot computer equipment and software systems, and assist peers with software or system issues.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• Paid time off of 37–50 days per year, including annual leave, 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.
• Potential child care subsidy after 60 days of employment for eligible full-time employees and families.
• Traditional federal pension, with five-year vesting.
• 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.

What This Job Offers

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