Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Veterans Health Administration • Harlingen, TX

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The incumbent serves as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant within an outpatient clinic in the Health Administration Service of the VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System. The position supports the administrative aspects of patient care, including patient access, appointment scheduling and coordination using advanced clinic access principles, collection and updating of demographic and insurance information, management of the Electronic Waiting List, patient processing, and customer service. The incumbent also helps ensure that staffing, training, compliance, reporting, quality assurance, and budgetary initiatives are met. These activities affect the revenue cycle, patient access, hospital performance goals, and the VA’s public image. The incumbent works with administrative and clinical staff to identify and resolve issues involving access, customer service, patient flow, revenue, and data validation.

At the advanced level, the Medical Support Assistant performs specialized administrative patient-support work in collaboration with interdisciplinary care teams. The role applies administrative judgment and a broad range of clinic-flow processes across multiple clinics, specialties, and community-care resources. It includes monitoring clinic schedules and appointment availability, communicating with patients and care teams, coordinating follow-up care, and maintaining accurate patient information and electronic records.

The schedule is 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Telework is not available, and this is not a virtual position. The position is permanent; relocation and recruitment incentives and permanent change of station are not authorized.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA policy exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or state- or territorial-level proficiency certificate.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• One year of creditable experience equivalent to GS-5 involving delivery of health care services in an inpatient or outpatient setting.
• Advanced knowledge of health care processes related to access to care, including interdisciplinary coordinated care and/or community-care models and patient health care portals.
• 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.
• Ability to collaborate and communicate with clinicians across multiple disciplines to support team goals and 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.
• Must complete the application, questionnaire, online assessment, and other required application steps.
• Subject to a background/security investigation and online onboarding; selected applicants must provide acceptable identification and meet pre-employment requirements.
• Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to the conditions described in the announcement.

Nice To Haves

• One year of experience coordinating provider clinic schedules in a clinical environment.
• One year of experience scheduling patients using medical appointment software in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model.
• One year of experience managing patient communications by telephone and/or email in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model.
• One year of experience documenting appropriate information in an electronic medical record.
• One year of administrative or office customer-service experience involving de-escalation, problem-solving, decision-making, and tactful oral and written communication.

Responsibilities

• Support patient access, appointment scheduling and coordination using advanced clinic access principles.
• Collect and update patient demographic and insurance information; manage the Electronic Waiting List and patient processing.
• Help ensure staffing, training, compliance, reporting, quality assurance, and budgetary initiatives are met.
• Identify and work with administrative and clinical staff to resolve issues involving access, customer service, patient flow, revenue, and data validation.
• Answer phones, greet patients, relay messages, and schedule, cancel, or reschedule appointments and consults in accordance with VHA scheduling guidelines.
• Enter no-show information and monitor appointment requests from multiple electronic sources.
• Participate in clinic huddles and coordinate administrative functions for emergency and non-emergency patient transfers.
• Determine appointment type based on patient eligibility status and verify and update demographic and insurance information at check-in.
• Recommend changes to clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines.
• Monitor clinic appointment availability and utilization, and adjust schedules as needed to support clinic needs.
• Maintain effective communication with patients, interdisciplinary teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies, including coordinating discharge communications and follow-up care.
• Process incoming patient secure messages through My HealtheVet and coordinate with the care team as appropriate.
• Participate in team meetings to plan, problem-solve, share information, and follow up on patient care.
• Set priorities and deadlines and adjust the flow of work to 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 requirements to ensure readiness for visits or procedures.
• Manage patient systems to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues.
• Review patient information and clinic schedules to determine whether an immediate appointment is needed.
• Inform team members about shared patients receiving care at multiple VA centers or through community care.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including annual leave, sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster-care placement of a child.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to income and other eligibility conditions.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and a federal 401(k) with up to 5% in VA contributions.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

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