Advanced Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • Middletown, OH

8d • Onsite

About The Position

The Dayton, Ohio Veterans Affairs Medical Center is recruiting a Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) in Primary Care. The role provides administrative and clerical support for patient care, including implementation and sustainment of the VHA Primary Care Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) initiative. The Advanced Medical Support Assistant provides customer service to Veterans, medical center staff, and other agencies, including answering questions about Veterans’ entitlement to care.

The position supports assigned PACT teams by managing telephone inquiries, appointments, and administrative information. The employee communicates with patients and care teams, helps coordinate patient care, and participates in team huddles and meetings where patient care planning and management take place. Patient information must be handled confidentially in accordance with HIPAA requirements.

The position is based at the Dayton VA Medical Center and is not virtual or telework eligible. Work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; compressed or flexible scheduling is not available. Work is mostly sedentary, with some walking, bending, lifting, or carrying work-related items. The role also requires the emotional ability to manage multitasking, high patient volume, and competing demands in a healthcare environment.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, except where appointment of a non-citizen is permitted under VA policy when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or state or territorial proficiency certificate.
• For GS-6 placement, one year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
• Advanced knowledge of technical healthcare processes related to access to care, including scheduling across coordinated care or community-care models and patient healthcare 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.
• 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 established processes, policies, and regulations.
• Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively with internal and external customers electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing; this may include preparing reports, presenting data, and resolving patient concerns.
• Successful completion of required background and security investigation and onboarding requirements.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for VA healthcare personnel.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to written certification for continued employment.

Nice To Haves

• One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (also listed as a GS-6 grade requirement).

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative and clerical support for patient care and the VHA PACT initiative.
• Deliver courteous, respectful customer service by listening to customers’ needs and helping resolve them in a timely manner.
• Respond to inquiries from Veterans, medical center staff, and other agencies regarding Veterans’ entitlement to care.
• Answer, screen, and prioritize telephone calls professionally, serving as a point of contact for patients, medical center staff, and community agencies.
• Communicate orally and in writing with people from varied backgrounds and provide clear, understandable, and accurate information to internal and external customers.
• Manage appointment scheduling accurately and coordinate administrative information between professional staff and patients.
• Independently manage work, set priorities and deadlines in line with team goals, and adjust work sequencing to meet team and patient needs.
• Participate in daily Teamlet huddles and other team meetings concerning patient care planning and management.
• Maintain the confidentiality of patient information in accordance with HIPAA requirements.

Benefits

• Competitive salary with 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, consisting of 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Possible 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 for birth, adoption, or foster care placement.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to family income and other eligibility limits.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and federal 401(k), with VA contributions up to 5%.
• 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