Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) - Enrollment/Eligibility & Registration

Veterans Health Administration • Las Cruces, NM

6d • Onsite

About The Position

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (MSA) serves in the Enrollment and Eligibility Department. The position is highly technical in nature as it's the primary gateway for all Veterans seeking care or other benefits across the VA Health Care System (VAHCS). The primary duty of this position is to perform tasks that determine Veteran's health eligibility, identifies copay requirements based on Priority Group assignment and Means Testing. The work impacts the administrative aspect of patient care, including access, scheduling, coordinating appointments using advanced clinic access principles, collecting, and updating demographic and insurance information, patient processing, and customer service. Incumbent is responsible for assuring that various aspects of staffing, training, compliance, reporting, quality assurance, and budgetary initiatives are met. Serves as technical expert providing enrollment and eligibility guidance to service and facility leadership. He/she supports the management information components of all health eligibility related programs within the HCS. This includes not only entering data and information, when necessary, but also analyzing reports, records, and statistical computations for accuracy and propriety. Must be able to assume the role of an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) within any clinical service overseen by the Health Administration Service (Primary Care, Surgical care, Specialty Care, Extended Care, as well as Lab and Radiology Services) during special projects or heavy workload, for leave, vacancies, or when the AMSA is detailed to fill-in other areas. Responsible for completion of personnel reports, rosters, and maintenance of supplies and forms. Required to review frequent changes to VHA directives, regulations and local policies and maintain constant coordination to ensure compliance and standardization associated with Advanced Clinic Access principles. Required to conduct special audits, studies, or surveys to be utilized in the development of procedures, and to assist employees in collecting complete and appropriate data for reporting processes and for generating revenue. Organizes and implements quality assurance monitors; prepares a wide variety of administrative reports and documents for supervisor and Health Administration Service. Generates patient workload reports for validation and monitors activity to ensure consistent and accurate reporting. Must completely understand and be able to explain complex regulations and eligibility criteria concerning veterans' entitlements and VA benefits, priorities for care, access to care and advanced clinic access.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must complete all required steps in the process, including application, questionnaire, and online assessment.
• 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 forms of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section.
• Required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period.
• High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• Proficient in spoken and written English.
• One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-5) for GS-6 Grade Determination.
• Experience includes duties related to the delivery of health care services in an inpatient or outpatient setting.
• Advises clinical staff on current administrative processes.
• 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.
• 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.
• Work involves specialized administrative judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or care in the community resources.
• Expertise in utilizing numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics involved in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model.
• Coordinates with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability (utilization) to ensure that clinic schedules are closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinics, and makes adjustments as necessary.
• MSAs at this level develop and/or maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies.

Nice To Haves

• Customer Service with experience in deescalation, problem solving, decision making and good tactful communication skills orally and in writing
• Advanced knowledge of managing a clinic to include advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with operational activities and team collaboration
• Advanced Knowledge of Medical Terminology including documenting/reading administrative notes in medical charts
• Scheduling/rescheduling in a clinical setting including experience reading and verifying provider's orders, consults, imaging requests and laboratory orders
• Experience with workload reports and data collection (MS Excel) to include meeting deadlines, set priorities and organize the work
• Demographics verify and update along with third party insurance capture including providing proper information to patients and family members
• Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience.

Responsibilities

• Determine Veteran's health eligibility.
• Identify copay requirements based on Priority Group assignment and Means Testing.
• Perform tasks related to patient care access, scheduling, appointment coordination using advanced clinic access principles.
• Collect and update demographic and insurance information.
• Process patients and provide customer service.
• Assure staffing, training, compliance, reporting, quality assurance, and budgetary initiatives are met.
• Serve as a technical expert providing enrollment and eligibility guidance.
• Support management information components of health eligibility related programs.
• Analyze reports, records, and statistical computations for accuracy and propriety.
• Assume the role of an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) within any clinical service during special projects or heavy workload.
• Complete personnel reports, rosters, and maintenance of supplies and forms.
• Review changes to VHA directives, regulations and local policies.
• Conduct special audits, studies, or surveys.
• Organize and implement quality assurance monitors.
• Prepare administrative reports and documents.
• Generate patient workload reports for validation and monitor activity.
• Explain complex regulations and eligibility criteria concerning veterans' entitlements and VA benefits, priorities for care, access to care and advanced clinic access.
• Schedule, cancel, and reschedule patient appointments and/or consults.
• Enter no-show information.
• Monitor appointment requests from multiple electronic sources.
• Participate in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff.
• Monitor both inpatient and outpatient appointments.
• Verify and update demographics and insurance information.
• Coordinate administrative functions relating to emergency and non-emergency transfers.
• Determine appointment type based on patient's eligibility status.
• Process incoming patient secure messaging through MyHealthyVet and coordinate with care team.
• Participate in team huddles and team meetings to manage, plan, problem solve, and follow-up with patient care.
• Set priorities and deadlines, adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work.
• Identify incomplete encounters and communicate findings to providers.
• Assist the team to reinforce the plan of care and self-help solutions.
• Enter appropriate information into the electronic record.
• Monitor pre-appointment information and/or requirements.
• Manage patient systems to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues.
• Evaluate patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine if an immediate appointment is required.
• Inform team members about shared patients.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year).
• After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
• After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
• Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement).

What This Job Offers

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