Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Veterans Health Administration•Franklin, TN

10d•Remote

About The Position

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) works in the VISN Clinical Contact Center as part of an interdisciplinary healthcare team, providing administrative and clinical scheduling support within an inter-professional coordinated care delivery model. The position provides specialized patient support and helps Veterans access care through telephone calls, secure messaging, chat, text messaging, and video. This is a fully remote position. Employees must sign a telework agreement and have access to high-speed wired internet. The schedule varies and includes rotating shifts, weekends, holidays, evenings, and nights. The AMSA manages patient communications and scheduling across multiple clinics, using advanced patient systems and electronic tools. The role requires coordinating with Veterans, caregivers, clinical and administrative teams, VA medical centers, non-VA medical facilities, and other agencies. The AMSA provides organizational information and customer service, addresses requests within scope, and routes or escalates contacts appropriately, including symptomatic concerns to clinicians. The work is generally sedentary and involves operating a computer terminal and managing multiple activities at once. Some walking, standing, bending, and carrying light items may be required. Work can be stressful during peak clinic hours or periods of high clinic activity.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship.
Proficiency in written and spoken English.
At least six months of clerical, office, customer service, or other relevant experience; or one year of education above high school; or an equivalent combination of experience and education. A transcript is required when qualifying based on education.
For GS-6, one year of experience equivalent to GS-5, including relevant patient scheduling, appointment-request monitoring, clinic coordination, and demographic or insurance verification duties.
Ability to collaborate, communicate, set priorities, and organize work to meet deadlines and comply with processes, policies, and regulations.
Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively orally and in writing, including preparing reports and presenting data.
Advanced knowledge of healthcare processes related to access to care, clinic management, operational policies, patient flow, patient care, and revenue processes.
Advanced knowledge of medical terminology.
Ability to use reference sources, make decisions, and help teams resolve problems in a complex systems environment.
Detailed experience must be documented on the resume, including job title, duties, start and end month/year, and hours worked per week.
Must complete background/security investigation, online onboarding, required application documentation, and applicable pre-employment identification requirements.
Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
Must serve a one- or two-year trial period.
Must agree to a telework agreement and have access to high-speed wired internet.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a clinical contact center, call center, healthcare scheduling, or related administrative healthcare setting.
Strong customer service skills and commitment to serving Veterans with professionalism, empathy, dignity, and respect.
Strong verbal and written communication skills with Veterans, caregivers, interdisciplinary teams, VA medical centers, and community providers.
Proficiency with electronic health records, scheduling systems, and multiple software applications.
Advanced medical terminology knowledge and ability to accurately document Veteran interactions in the electronic health record.
Ability to apply critical thinking and sound administrative judgment to identify Veteran needs and appropriately escalate clinical concerns.
Experience in a fast-paced contact center, scheduling, or customer service environment focused on first-contact resolution.
Ability to manage multiple tasks, prioritize workload, and adapt to changing operational needs in a virtual or teleworking environment.
Strong collaboration skills with interdisciplinary clinical and administrative staff.
Knowledge of VHA scheduling directives, access standards, Veteran healthcare programs, community care, and eligibility processes.
Reliability, accountability, and adherence to VHA policies, procedures, compliance requirements, and performance expectations.

Responsibilities

Answer telephone, secure-message, and chat contacts; greet patients; relay messages to appropriate staff; and provide support through available contact modalities.
Schedule, cancel, and reschedule patient appointments and consults; enter no-show information; and monitor appointment requests from multiple electronic sources.
Interpret and verify provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines.
Gather medical information from patients, process medication refill requests, review electronic health records, and obtain medical records.
Collaborate with VISN programs, services, and inter-professional care team members to support access to care and meet Veterans’ needs.
Maintain effective communication with patients, care teams, VA medical centers, other agencies, and non-VA medical facilities.
Participate in huddles to determine daily needs and monitor outpatient appointments in assigned areas.
Verify and update patient demographics and manage patient systems to validate accuracy and resolve issues.
Evaluate patient information and clinic schedules to determine whether an immediate appointment is required, and inform team members about shared patients.
Provide information and resolution to Veterans’ requests within scope; escalate symptomatic concerns to clinicians or direct contacts to the appropriate discipline.
Screen incoming contacts and route them to the appropriate area for resolution.
Use knowledge of healthcare access processes to make scheduling efficient, operational, and prioritized to maintain Veteran flow and clinic readiness.
Use software, hardware, data portals, computerized interfaces, and telecommunications equipment to capture, transfer, receive, and respond to information and contacts.
Provide accurate information about VA services and high-quality customer service to Veterans and their families or caregivers.
Communicate tactfully and effectively with challenging, threatening, abusive, or distraught customers and resolve Veteran complaints as appropriate.
Recommend changes to clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines and perform other assigned duties to support efficient operations.