Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Veterans Health Administration • Laguna Hills, CA

7d • Onsite

About The Position

The Long Beach VA Health Care System Health Administration Service is recruiting two Advanced Medical Support Assistants for the Laguna Hills Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). The Advanced MSA provides specialized administrative patient support while collaborating with an interdisciplinary coordinated care team. The role uses administrative judgment and a broad range of clinical-flow processes to support access to care across clinics, specialties, and community-care resources. It requires expertise with advanced patient systems and coordination with patients, care teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies.

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 schedules and telework are not authorized; this is not a virtual position. Relocation and recruitment incentives and permanent change of station are not authorized.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy.
• High school diploma or equivalent; a diploma or transcript is required when relying on high school education.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• For GS-6 qualification, one year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 level.
• Demonstrated advanced knowledge of technical health care processes related to access to care, including coordinated care and patient health care portals.
• Demonstrated 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 medical clinicians across multiple disciplines to support team goals and patient care.
• Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines and comply with 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.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English and compliance with applicable application, assessment, onboarding, background investigation, identification, and pre-employment requirements.
• Pass a pre-employment physical examination and participate in the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Potential requirement to serve a two-year trial period.

Nice To Haves

• Current VHA employees in this occupation may qualify under the grandfathering provision described in the VA qualification standard.
• Foreign education may be considered when evaluated as equivalent to U.S. education by an appropriate credential evaluation organization.

Responsibilities

• Schedule, cancel, and reschedule patient appointments and consultations; 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 assigned areas and obtain medical information from patients.
• 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 plans of care and self-help solutions.
• Manage consult metrics and patient systems 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 and schedules, making adjustments as needed to support clinic needs.
• Maintain communication with patients, interdisciplinary teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies; support transitions between inpatient and outpatient care and coordinate follow-up care.
• Process incoming patient secure messages through My HealtheVet and coordinate with the care team as appropriate.
• Participate in team huddles and meetings to plan, problem-solve, and follow up on patient care.
• Prioritize and sequence work to meet team and patient needs; identify incomplete encounters and communicate findings to providers.
• Monitor pre-appointment information and requirements, evaluate schedules and patient information for urgent appointment needs, and inform team members about shared patients.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package for eligible employees and their families.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual for qualifying prior federal service 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