Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Veterans Health Administration • Lincoln, ME

8d • Onsite

About The Position

The Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) provides administrative support to an assigned section within health care service lines at the VA Maine Healthcare System. The role supports clinic profile management, patient registration and demographics, appointment scheduling, referrals, and communication with Veterans, families, patients, clinicians, and care teams. It may serve as an initial contact for units, clinics, patients, call centers, and Care in the Community regarding appointments and referrals.

The position collects and updates insurance information, prepares correspondence and memoranda, handles calls courteously while following privacy rules and clinic processes, enters data accurately into VISTA, and scans applicable documents into VISTA Imaging within 24 hours. It also promotes Veterans' use of MyHealthyVet and kiosks, follows Community Care referral procedures, handles urgent and emergent appointment needs, pre-registers Veterans, uses call lists, and contacts Veterans before scheduled visits. Patient interactions must be appropriate to adult and geriatric patients' cognitive, emotional, and developmental needs.

The schedule is generally Monday through Friday during day-shift hours, to be determined. Some shifts may include evenings, nights, weekends, or holidays, and employees may work tours other than their regular scheduled tour as patient and facility needs require. Compressed or flexible schedules, remote work, and telework are not authorized.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is required, subject to the stated statutory exception when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or state/territorial education proficiency certificate.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• One year of experience equivalent to GS-05 in Federal service, including clinic experience in a hospital or doctor's office with high-volume appointment scheduling; high-level customer service; timely resolution of multiple communication inputs; and use of clinic or hospital scheduling software.
• At least six months of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work indicating the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for the position.
• 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 processes, policies, and regulations.
• Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively with internal and external customers electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing, including preparing reports, presenting data, and resolving patient concerns.
• Advanced knowledge of technical health care processes related to access to care, including interdisciplinary coordinated care, community care models, and patient health care portals.
• Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures affecting interdisciplinary coordinated care and community care operations, patient flow, and administrative support functions such as appointment cycles, outside referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, and provider availability.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology.
• Must meet pre-employment screening requirements, including a background/security investigation and physical evaluation or examination.
• Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must complete the online onboarding and other application requirements, provide acceptable identification, and serve a one- or two-year trial period.

Responsibilities

• Support clinics with clinic profile management.
• Collect and update insurance information from Veterans, family members, and other eligible patients.
• Prepare correspondence and memoranda as needed.
• Screen and receive phone calls courteously and promptly, determine the nature of requests, and provide information while following privacy rules and established clinic processes.
• Enter data accurately into VISTA and, when applicable, scan documents into VISTA Imaging within 24 hours of data entry.
• Promote Veterans' registration for and use of MyHealthyVet and kiosks.
• Follow procedures for Community Care referrals.
• Serve as an initial point of contact for units, clinics, patients, call centers, and Care in the Community regarding appointments and referrals.
• Enter Veterans seeking emergent or urgent care and schedule appointments accurately.
• Pre-register Veterans during check-in, use call lists, and telephone Veterans before scheduled visits.
• Update patient demographics.
• Communicate and interact with patients in a manner appropriate to adult and geriatric patients' cognitive, emotional, and chronological maturation needs.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package for employees and their families.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to request and approval.

What This Job Offers

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