Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Veterans Health Administration • Santa Ana, CA

18h • Onsite

About The Position

The Long Beach VA Health Care System’s Health Administration Service is recruiting for an Advanced Medical Support Assistant at the Santa Ana CBOC. The role provides specialized administrative support to patients and works collaboratively with an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery team. The position involves applying administrative judgment and clinical-flow processes to support access to care across clinics, specialties, and community-care resources. The employee uses advanced patient systems, monitors clinic schedules and appointment availability, and coordinates with care teams to support patient needs.

The position is full performance level GS-6. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Compressed or flexible scheduling and telework are not authorized, and the position is not virtual. Relocation or recruitment incentives and permanent change of station are not authorized.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• High school diploma or equivalent; no advanced education substitution is permitted.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level for qualification at GS-6.
• Advanced knowledge of technical health care processes related to access to care, including interdisciplinary scheduling and patient health care portals.
• Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures for coordinated care operations affecting patient flow and administrative support, including appointment cycles, referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, and provider availability.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology.
• Ability to collaborate and communicate with medical clinicians across multiple disciplines to accomplish team goals and support patient care.
• Ability to set priorities and organize work independently to meet deadlines and comply 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; this may include preparing reports, presenting data, and resolving patient concerns.
• Meet applicable application, assessment, onboarding, background/security, identification, and influenza vaccination requirements.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• May be required to complete a one- or two-year trial period.

Responsibilities

• Schedule, cancel, and reschedule patient appointments and consults; enter no-show information and monitor electronic wait lists.
• Prepare for clinic visits and establish and maintain medical outpatient and inpatient charts and administrative records.
• Monitor inpatient and outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility.
• Obtain medical information from patients and coordinate information and actions related to patient care and services.
• Ensure encounter forms are completed to obtain appropriate workload credit.
• Verify and update patient demographic and insurance information.
• Monitor interdisciplinary team setup, including consult categories of care, and make adjustments as needed to support clinic needs.
• Work with the care team to reinforce the plan of care and self-help solutions.
• Manage consult metrics to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues.
• Participate in team meetings and provide input on operational problem solving and procedures.
• Review clinic appointment availability with the care team and adjust schedules as necessary.
• Maintain effective communication with patients, interdisciplinary teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies, including coordinating discharge communications and non-VA facility communications.
• Process incoming patient secure messages through MyHealthyVet and coordinate with the care team as appropriate.
• Participate in team huddles and meetings to plan, problem solve, and follow up on patient care.
• Set priorities and deadlines, adjust work flow and sequencing, and help meet team and patient needs.
• Identify incomplete encounters and communicate findings to providers as needed.
• Enter appropriate information into the electronic record and monitor pre-appointment information or requirements to ensure readiness for visits or procedures.
• Evaluate patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether an immediate appointment is needed.
• Inform team members about shared patients receiving care at multiple VA centers or through community care.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package available to the employee and family, subject to position eligibility.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, if requested and approved before appointment.

What This Job Offers

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