Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • Brownsburg, IN

10d • Onsite

About The Position

This position is located at the Brownsburg, Indiana Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center. The Medical Support Assistant performs technical and clerical support duties that facilitate the work of physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nursing assistants, and other medical facility staff who provide direct patient care. The MSA is a key member of the patient care team and a primary source of information about patient care and patient flow, providing administrative advice and guidance.

The incumbent performs appointment scheduling in accordance with the National Scheduling Directive and uses personal computer applications, VistA applications, and the Federal Electronic Health Record (EHR). The position may infrequently support a Call Center, Urgent Care, or an interdisciplinary care team in a primary care or specialty clinic. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Compressed or flexible scheduling, telework, and virtual work are not available.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception under VA policy for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• High school diploma or transcript, GED certificate, state or territorial proficiency certificate, or post-high-school education.
• For GS-5 qualification through experience: one year of creditable experience equivalent to GS-4, such as patient appointment interviews, referrals to specialty clinics, review and documentation of electronic health or administrative records, insurance verification and updates, obtaining medical information, or scheduling under VHA guidelines.
• Alternatively, two years of education above high school may satisfy the GS-5 experience/education requirement.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology sufficient to understand diagnoses and procedures and communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.
• Customer-service skill, including identifying customer concerns and referring them to appropriate staff for resolution.
• Ability to use computerized systems to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and personally identifying information in electronic health records, scheduling systems, or reports.
• Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
• Ability to work independently while performing a wide variety of patient-support duties.
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and by telephone with internal and external customers.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• Resume must document qualifying specialized experience periods in mm/yyyy-to-mm/yyyy format and indicate full-time or part-time status and weekly hours if part-time; government positions must include grade level.
• Must complete the required application steps and online assessment; selected applicants must complete onboarding and a background/security investigation.
• Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period.
• Education submitted to qualify must be from an institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education; foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with transcripts.

Responsibilities

• Perform technical and clerical support duties for staff providing direct patient care.
• Serve as a source of patient care and patient flow information and provide administrative advice and guidance to the patient care team.
• Screen and receive telephone calls courteously and promptly, determine the nature of requests, and provide information in accordance with privacy rules and clinic processes.
• Follow through on provider orders, including scheduling consultation requests, laboratory tests, X-rays, and other available specialty clinic services.
• Schedule appointments with patient input, in person or by phone, coordinating appointments to reduce multiple trips to the clinic where possible.
• Notify a supervisor when clinic access is inadequate or a patient cannot be scheduled within mandated timeframes.
• Review active and pending consults daily.
• Assist veterans with beneficiary travel requests using a paper form or veteran kiosk.
• Communicate and interact with people from varying backgrounds and with healthcare team members to complete assignments.
• Use office automation equipment and software, and set up, organize, and maintain record systems.
• Use programs and databases to make appointments in a clinical setting.
• Maintain patient confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA requirements.

Benefits

• 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, in connection with birth, adoption, or foster care placement.
• Eligible full-time employees with total family income below $144,000 may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, up to 25% of eligible childcare costs and a monthly maximum of $416.66.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many programs may be carried into retirement.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual for prior work or military service, subject to request and approval.

What This Job Offers

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