Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Veterans Health Administration • Fayetteville, AR

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant works in the Health Administration Service at the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The role provides clerical, customer-service, and administrative patient-support services in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model, including PACT, specialty clinics, and Compensation & Pension clinics. The position supports timely patient treatment and access to care across clinics and care settings, using advanced patient systems and administrative judgment to coordinate patient flow and follow-up.

The position is full-time and follows a Monday–Friday schedule of either 7:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m. or 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; the schedule may change based on service needs. Telework is available, but the position is not virtual. Work is performed in an office or clinic setting with minimal risk and normal safety precautions. The role may involve handling several tasks at once in stressful situations and may require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing. Personal protective equipment and annual TB screening or testing may be required.

Applicants must meet federal employment conditions, including U.S. citizenship (with limited statutory exceptions), English proficiency, a background/security investigation, and a pre-employment physical evaluation. The position requires a high school diploma or equivalent and one year of experience equivalent to the GS-05 level for the GS-06 grade. No certification is required. The employee must serve a one- or two-year trial period. Sign-on and relocation incentives are not authorized.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated statutory exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or state/territorial proficiency certificate.
• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level for the GS-06 position.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Advanced knowledge of technical healthcare processes related to access to care, including scheduling across interdisciplinary care models and patient 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 clinicians across multiple disciplines to meet team goals and patient-care needs.
• Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines and comply with 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, presenting data, and resolving patient concerns.
• Completion of the application and questionnaire, required online assessment, onboarding, background/security investigation, and pre-employment physical evaluation.
• Compliance with the seasonal influenza vaccination program for VA health care personnel.
• Service of a one- or two-year trial period.
• Resume must describe relevant experience and KSAs and include hours worked per week for experience credit.

Nice To Haves

• Prior work or military service experience may be considered for credit toward annual leave accrual, subject to request and approval before appointment.

Responsibilities

• Communicate with patients, interdisciplinary teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies.
• Manage follow-up care systems for consults, tests, and other patient-care needs.
• Process incoming patient secure messages through My HealtheVet and coordinate with the care team as appropriate.
• Participate in team huddles and meetings to manage, plan, problem-solve, and follow up on patient care.
• Set priorities and deadlines and adjust workflow to meet team and patient needs.
• Identify incomplete encounters and communicate findings to providers as needed.
• Help the team reinforce care plans and self-help solutions.
• Enter appropriate information into electronic records.
• Monitor pre-appointment information and requirements to ensure readiness for visits or procedures.
• Ensure patient insurance information is correctly captured and updated.
• Manage patient systems to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues.
• Review patient information and clinic schedules to determine whether an immediate appointment is needed.
• Inform team members about shared patients receiving care at multiple VA centers or in the community.
• Schedule, reschedule, cancel, record no-shows, and add appointments using VSE software.
• Coordinate clinic appointment availability and monitor schedules to support clinic needs; make adjustments as necessary.
• Recommend changes to clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be considered based on higher or unique qualifications or VA special needs.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment for birth, adoption, or foster-care placement.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to income, child eligibility, and monthly maximums.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and federal 401(k) contributions of up to 5%.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term-life, and long-term-care insurance; many federal insurance programs may be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

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