Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Veterans Health Administration • Long Beach, CA

9d • Onsite

About The Position

The Long Beach VA Health Care Systems Health Administration Service is recruiting for four (4) Advanced Medical Support Assistant positions located in Primary Care. This role involves scheduling, managing patient appointments and records, coordinating patient care information, and ensuring accurate workload credit. The Advanced MSA provides specialized administrative patient support within an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model, requiring advanced knowledge of healthcare processes, medical terminology, and patient support functions. They collaborate with medical clinicians, manage consult metrics, and recommend improvements to clinic procedures. Responsibilities include processing patient messages, participating in team meetings, reinforcing care plans, managing patient systems for accuracy, and evaluating patient needs for timely appointments.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Must complete all required steps in the process, including application, questionnaire, and an online assessment.
• The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements.
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
• May be required to serve a 2-year trial period.
• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency: MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.j.
• Education: High school diploma or equivalent.
• Experience: None
• May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).
• Foreign Education: Must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs.
• One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-5) grade level.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):
• Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process (including, but not limited to, scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community models and patient health care portals) as it relates to access to care.
• Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community operational activities that affect patient flow, and patient support care administrative functions to include, but not limited to appointment cycles, outside patient referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, provider availability, etc.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.
• Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines (e.g. medical doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, clinical pharmacists, and nursing staff) to accomplish team goal setting to ensure medical care to patients is met.
• Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance 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 in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient concerns.

Nice To Haves

• Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Responsibilities

• Scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient's appointments and/or consults
• Entering no-show information
• Monitoring electronic wait lists
• Preparing for clinic visits
• Establishing and maintaining medical outpatient and inpatient charts as well as administrative records
• Monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility
• Obtaining medical information from patients
• Coordinating information and actions related to patient care and services
• Ensuring encounter forms are completed in order to obtain appropriate workload credit
• Verifying and updating demographics and insurance information
• Ensuring that the Interdisciplinary Team setup (including consult category of care) is closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the VA clinics, and make any necessary adjustments.
• Work with the team to reinforce the plan of care and self-help solutions
• Managing consult metrics to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues
• Participates and provides input in problem solving on operational issues or procedures in team meetings
• Other duties as assigned
• Processes incoming patient secure messaging through MyHealthyVet and coordinates with care team as appropriate
• Participates in team huddles and team meetings to manage, plan, problem solve, and follow-up with patient care by sharing information and collaborating with the interdisciplinary team
• Setting priorities and deadlines, adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs
• Identifies incomplete encounters and communicates findings to providers; as needed
• Assists the team to reinforce the plan of care and self-help solutions
• Enters appropriate information into the electronic record
• Monitors pre-appointment information and/or requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure
• Manages patient systems to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues
• Evaluates patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether the patient requires an immediate appointment
• Informs team members about shared patients (i.e., those who receive their care at multiple VA centers or those who receive care in the community)

Benefits

• A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package.
• As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.
• Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent.

What This Job Offers

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