Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Veterans Health Administration • Baltimore, MD

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The incumbent is assigned to Medical Administration Service at the VA Maryland Healthcare System at the Baltimore location. The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) is responsible for administrative support of clinical services. The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Must complete all required steps in the process.
• In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires 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 ( https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents ).
• 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.
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• Citizenship: Citizen of the United States.
• Experience: No experience required.
• Education: High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• Documentation Requirements for Proof of High School Completion or higher: If using post-high school education to substitute for experience at the GS-04 or GS-05, you must submit a copy of your unofficial or official college transcript with your application.
• If selected, to meet the basic requirement of high school education or equivalent and prior to a firm job offer being extended, applicants must provide one of the following as verification of the education requirement if not covered under the grandfathering provision.
• Copy of high school diploma OR high school transcript (unofficial or official) OR GED Certificate OR homeschooling completion OR proficiency certificate issued by a State or Territorial Board or Department of Education OR college transcript (official)
• Certification: None required.
• 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.
• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level in an inpatient or outpatient clinical setting.
• Advises clinical staff on current administrative processes, answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit, scheduling appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with scheduling guidelines, scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults; entering no-show information; monitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sources, participating in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinic, monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments, verifying and updating demographics and insurance information.
• 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.
• 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.

Nice To Haves

• Outstanding customer service
• medical terminology
• ability to multi-task
• ability to set priorities

Responsibilities

• Scheduling appointments in accordance with VHA Directive 1230(3) and VHA Directive 1232 (2); including canceling, re-scheduling, and no showing patient appointments and/or consults.
• Verifies and updates patient demographics to include capturing of insurance data.
• Ensures that all patients are identified by photo identification.
• Responsible for receiving and routing all Veterans who report to the facility for scheduled and unscheduled examinations and appointments, assuring that the patients are electronically checked-in for their appointment.
• Responsible for explaining in detailed to Veteran about upcoming appointments, ensuring they understand what they must do and where they must go to complete their work-up.
• Responsible for capturing scheduling preference.
• Ensures clinic assigned staff are appropriately utilizing Recall List (Delinquent), Return to Clinic Orders (Query from VS GUI), insurance capture buffer report, pre-registration and view electronic health record (EHR) alerts for accurate disposition daily.
• Ensures patients online appointments (VAOS) are review daily and scheduled within 2 business days from time of receipt from the notification manager.
• Ensures patient encounters are given to the Provider or clinical staff by the end of business each day.
• Ensures patient encounters are completed for clinics assigned by the end of each business day (no-shows and patient cancellations).
• Ensures that consults greater than 30 days have proper documentation for additional scheduling attempts or dispositioning directed by the provider.
• Ensures clinic assigned staff is appropriately using the insurance capture buffer exception list and appropriately utilizing Vet Link for clinics assigned.
• Receives and directs patients and visitors by telephone, answering routine inquiries, and making appropriate referral of questions concerning patients' care.
• Directs patients and families to Decedent Affairs regarding death benefits.
• Directs patients to Beneficiary Travel for transportation support and vouchers as required.
• Directs patients to Eligibility and Enrollment for follow up regarding any eligibility issues.
• Orients and provides on-the-job training for new AMSA employees as required in collaboration with Lead MSA and Supervisory MSA.
• Monitors pre-appointment requirements to ensure readiness for the patient visit; perform administrative follow-up actions; evaluate patient information and clinic schedule list.
• Monitors CTM to review the status of consults, at minimum to include consults greater than 90 days, unscheduled no activity greater than 30 days linked to past appointment, and other status that require administrative/MSA action.
• Document attempts in CTB (consult toolbox).
• Make patients aware of community care wait time.
• Responsible for submitting Patient Tracking form upon request from supervisor.
• Responsible for reviewing and following up on several reports to include Aged Consult report, Community Care Scheduling Timeliness, Recall Reminder report, Return to clinic orders report.
• Discuss opt-in and opt-out with patients.
• Notifies Supervisor when clinic access is less than desirable or if an individual patient cannot be scheduled within mandated clinic timeframes.
• Completes pre-registration call list for patients with future appointments.
• Responsible for other duties as assigned.

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