Advanced Medical Support Assistant - Community Care

Veterans Health Administration • Topeka, KS

7d • Onsite

About The Position

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while collaborating with an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model to coordinate care for Veterans using Community Care Network providers. The position reports directly to the VA Community Care Supervisory MSA and supports multiple clinics through advanced patient systems and administrative judgment.

The role involves coordinating clinic schedules and appointment availability, communicating with patients and care teams, screening community care consults, and scheduling Veterans with community providers using electronic scheduling software. The AMSA also supports patient care coordination through secure messaging, team meetings, care-plan reinforcement, and accurate electronic records. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Telework and virtual work are not available.

This is a GS-06 position. The basic qualification requires a high school diploma, GED, or state-issued proficiency certificate; no experience is required for the basic requirements, but the GS-06 grade determination requires one year of experience equivalent to GS-05. Candidates must be U.S. citizens, proficient in written and spoken English, and meet applicable pre-employment, security, physical evaluation, and vaccination requirements.

Requirements

• High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or state or territorial education board proficiency certificate.
• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level for the GS-06 grade determination.
• Ability to collaborate and communicate with medical clinicians across multiple disciplines to accomplish team goals and meet patient-care needs.
• 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 by electronic means, phone, in person, and in writing with internal and external customers; 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, community care models, and patient health care portals.
• Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures for interdisciplinary coordinated care and community care operations affecting patient flow and administrative support, including appointment cycles, outside referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, and provider availability.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology.
• U.S. citizenship, subject to stated exceptions for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical evaluation and background/security investigation; seasonal influenza vaccination program participation is required.
• Must complete online onboarding and application documentation requirements and serve a one- or two-year trial period.

Nice To Haves

• One to two years of VA scheduling experience, ideally within a Community Care Department.
• Familiarity with electronic health records.
• Extensive knowledge of medical terminology.

Responsibilities

• Recommend changes to clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines.
• Use advanced patient systems to support multiple clinics in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model.
• Coordinate with the patient care team to review appointment availability and utilization, monitor clinic schedules, and make adjustments as needed.
• Maintain effective communication with patients, interdisciplinary care teams, VA medical centers, community providers, and other agencies.
• Assist with communications during inpatient-to-outpatient discharge and communicate with non-VA medical facilities.
• Prepare correspondence to notify patients of appointment details.
• Process incoming patient secure messages and coordinate with the care team as appropriate.
• Participate in team huddles and meetings to manage, plan, problem-solve, and follow up on patient care.
• Set priorities and deadlines and adjust work sequencing to meet team and patient needs.
• Assist the team in reinforcing care plans and self-help solutions, and enter appropriate information into the electronic record.
• Monitor pre-appointment information and requirements to ensure readiness for visits or procedures.
• Manage patient systems to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues.
• Evaluate patient information and clinic schedule lists to identify patients requiring immediate appointments and inform team members about shared patients.
• Screen new community care consults for eligibility and duplication and communicate with community providers.
• Schedule Veteran appointments with community providers using electronic scheduling software.
• Communicate with physicians, case managers, and other allied health professionals while handling sensitive information appropriately.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including annual leave, sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Eligible employees may receive credit toward annual leave accrual for 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 care placement.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to income and other eligibility limits.
• 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 programs may be continued into retirement.

What This Job Offers

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