Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • Iowa City, IA

12h • Onsite

About The Position

The Medical Support Assistant (MSA) serves in the Surgical Care Service Line at the Iowa City VA Health Care System’s Iowa City campus. The MSA handles the receipt, intake, and indexing of health and administrative information and uses personal computer applications and multiple Vista applications. The role includes scheduling appointments by interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines.

The position may be filled at GS-03, GS-04, or GS-05. At GS-03, the MSA is an entry-level employee who receives frequent, direct supervision. At GS-04, the position is developmental, with less frequent guidance on difficult tasks. GS-05 is the full-performance level, where the MSA independently performs a full range of patient-support duties, advises clinical staff on administrative processes, answers phones, greets patients, relays messages, and schedules appointments. The full-performance level is GS-05; the vacancy’s selection range is GS-03 through GS-05.

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. Telework is unavailable, and the position is not virtual. Relocation and recruitment incentives and permanent change-of-station authorization are not available.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is required, with an exception possible for non-citizens when qualified U.S. citizens cannot be recruited.
• High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or qualifying state or territorial proficiency certificate.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• For GS-04, either one year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade or one year of education above high school.
• For GS-05, either one year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade or two years of education above high school.
• Knowledge of basic medical terminology for assisting in patient care (GS-04 KSA).
• Ability to record patient messages and understand physician requests concerning follow-up care (GS-04 KSA).
• Ability to communicate courteously and helpfully with people from varying backgrounds and health care team members (GS-04 KSA).
• Ability to use and navigate office automation equipment and software, such as computer systems, web-based scheduling programs, insurance collection systems, scanning software, multiline phone systems, and electronic faxing programs (GS-04 KSA).
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology sufficient to understand diagnoses and procedures and communicate clinical staff instructions to patients (GS-05 KSA).
• Customer-service skill, including identifying customer concerns and referring them to appropriate staff for resolution (GS-05 KSA).
• Ability to use computerized systems to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and patient-identifying information in electronic health records, scheduling systems, or reports (GS-05 KSA).
• Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting (GS-05 KSA).
• Ability to work independently on a wide variety of patient-support duties (GS-05 KSA).
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and by telephone with internal and external customers (GS-05 KSA).
• Selected applicants must complete required application steps, including an online assessment, and an online onboarding process.
• Subject to background and security investigation; male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must meet Selective Service registration requirements.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for VA health care personnel.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to evaluation and written certification for continued employment.
• Physical requirements are governed by VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Responsibilities

• Schedule, cancel, and reschedule patient appointments and consults, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines.
• Enter no-show information and monitor the electronic wait list.
• Prepare for clinic visits and monitor inpatient and outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility.
• Ensure encounter forms are completed to obtain appropriate workload credit.
• Verify and update demographic and insurance information.
• Process emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals.
• Perform basic eligibility, copay, and preauthorization requirements for specific coverage.
• Answer phones, greet patients, and relay messages to appropriate staff inside or outside the unit.
• Advise clinical staff on current administrative processes.
• Interview patients for appointments and refer patients to other medical specialty clinics, as applicable.
• Provide information to patients to help resolve VA Handbook complaints.
• Interact with internal and external customers and review and document medical and administrative electronic records, as applicable to the grade and assignment.
• Receive, intake, and index health and administrative information.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package available to the employee and family, with eligibility dependent on position type.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual for qualifying prior federal 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