Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Veterans Health Administration • Tyler, TX

12d • Onsite

About The Position

The Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) performs administrative and clerical work supporting patient care and treatment in inpatient units, outpatient clinics, and ancillary support services. The Advanced MSA provides specialized administrative support in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model, using administrative judgment and a broad range of clinical-flow processes to support access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and community-care resources. The role may recommend changes to clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines and requires use of advanced patient systems for multiple clinics.

The position coordinates with patient-care teams to monitor clinic appointment availability and schedules, adjust schedules as needed, and help ensure timely care. It maintains communication among patients, interdisciplinary teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies, including supporting inpatient-to-outpatient discharge communications, contacting non-VA facilities, preparing routine patient correspondence, and managing follow-up for consults and tests. The MSA also processes MyHealtheVet secure messages, participates in team huddles and meetings, identifies incomplete encounters, enters information in electronic records, checks pre-appointment requirements, and helps resolve patient-system issues.

Additional duties include answering questions about eligibility, appointments, and procedures; scheduling, canceling, rescheduling, and following up on appointments and consults; processing emergency and non-emergency transfers; monitoring and updating insurance and demographic information; and conducting patient preregistration. The MSA resolves informal complaints, provides non-technical information, ensures encounters are appropriately closed, reviews scheduling requests and consults for closure, completes clinic closeouts, and schedules appointments from clinical consult requests under VHA scheduling guidance.

The work schedule is Monday through Friday, either 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. or 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., based on service needs. Telework is not available, and the position is not virtual. The full-performance level is GS-06.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, except where appointment of a non-citizen is permitted under VA policy when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or state or territorial proficiency certificate.
• For GS-6: one year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 level.
• 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 while complying with established 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 healthcare processes, including interdisciplinary scheduling, community-care models, and patient portals as they relate to access to care.
• Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures affecting patient flow and administrative support functions, including appointment cycles, outside referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, and provider availability.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology.
• Must complete required application steps and an online assessment.
• Must be subject to a background/security investigation and complete online onboarding and pre-employment identification requirements.
• Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period.
• Must meet applicable Selective Service registration requirements for males born after December 31, 1959.

Nice To Haves

• Previous clinical experience.
• Previous experience scheduling appointments, cancellations, laboratory appointments, and X-ray appointments.
• Previous experience providing customer service and resolving informal complaints.
• Previous experience verifying and updating insurance information.
• Previous experience working in a team environment.
• Previous experience working independently.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialized administrative and clerical support for patient care across inpatient units, outpatient clinics, and ancillary services.
• Use advanced patient systems and clinical-flow processes to support access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and community-care resources.
• Recommend changes to clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines.
• Coordinate with care teams to monitor clinic appointment availability and adjust schedules as needed.
• Communicate with patients, interdisciplinary care teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies, including supporting discharge coordination and follow-up care.
• Process incoming MyHealtheVet secure messages and coordinate with care teams as appropriate.
• Participate in team huddles and meetings to plan, problem-solve, share information, and follow up on patient care.
• Set priorities and deadlines and adjust work sequencing to meet team and patient needs.
• Identify incomplete encounters and communicate findings to providers; enter appropriate information into electronic records.
• Monitor pre-appointment information and requirements to ensure readiness for visits and procedures.
• Verify and validate patient-system information and resolve issues.
• Review patient information and clinic schedules to determine whether immediate appointments are needed, and inform team members about shared patients.
• Answer questions about eligibility, appointment availability, appointment procedures, and appointment requests or changes.
• Schedule, cancel, reschedule, and arrange follow-up and consult appointments.
• Process emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals.
• Monitor, request, scan, and update patient insurance information using insurance-buffer software or preregistration programs.
• Verify, update, and confirm demographic information and use ISS and/or VistA preregistration functions when patients check in.
• Conduct telephone preregistration and identify patients using requested identifiers.
• Resolve informal complaints and provide non-technical information about report or laboratory status, suspense dates, hours of operation, and medical forms.
• Ensure encounters are properly addressed and closed within the MSA's scope to obtain workload credit.
• Review ISS, open requests, appointments, and consults for closure; complete clinic closeouts, including no-action and incomplete check-ins.
• Monitor and schedule appointments from clinical consult requests in accordance with VHA scheduling guidance.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package; eligibility and specific benefits depend on position type and are determined by the hiring agency.
• Prior work or military service may be credited toward annual-leave accrual, subject to request and approval.

What This Job Offers

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