Advanced Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • Dayton, OH

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The Dayton, Ohio Veterans Affairs Medical Center is recruiting a Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) within Primary Care Service. 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 routine customer service to Veterans, Medical Center staff, and other agencies, including responding to questions about Veterans’ entitlement to care.

The position supports patient access and coordinated care through telephone service, appointment scheduling and management, and coordination of administrative information between patients and professional staff. The incumbent participates in PACT Teamlet huddles and other meetings about patient care planning and management, and maintains patient confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA requirements.

Work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Compressed or flexible scheduling is not available. Telework may be available under agency policy; this is not a virtual position. The role is mostly sedentary, with some walking, bending, lifting, or carrying work-related items, and requires handling multitasking, high patient volume, and competing demands in a healthcare environment.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA policy exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or state or territorial education department proficiency certificate.
• At least one year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade for the GS-6 level.
• Advanced knowledge of technical healthcare processes related to access to care, including interdisciplinary coordinated care, community care models, scheduling, and patient health care 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 a range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines to support team goals and patient care.
• 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; this may include preparing reports, presenting data, and resolving patient concerns.
• Must complete the required application steps, online assessment, and onboarding process; selected applicants are subject to background and security investigation.
• Must meet the stated identification and pre-employment requirements and participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to the conditions described in the announcement.

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 inquiries in a timely manner.
• Respond to inquiries from Veterans, Medical Center staff, and other agencies regarding Veterans’ entitlement to care.
• Promptly answer, screen, and prioritize telephone calls professionally, serving as a point of contact for patients, Medical Center staff, community agencies, and the assigned PACT.
• Communicate clearly and accurately, orally and in writing, with people from varied backgrounds.
• Schedule medical appointments and ensure accurate appointment management.
• Coordinate administrative information between professional staff and patients.
• Independently manage responsibilities, set priorities and deadlines in line with team goals, and adjust work sequencing to meet team and patient needs.
• Provide clear, understandable, and correct information to internal and external customers.
• Participate in daily Teamlet huddles and other team meetings where patient care planning and management take place.
• Maintain patient confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA requirements.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits are available to employees and their families, subject to eligibility.
• Selected applicants may qualify to have prior work or military service credited toward annual leave accrual, subject to prior request and approval.

What This Job Offers

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