Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • Cincinnati, OH

9d • Onsite

About The Position

The Cincinnati VA Medical Center is seeking a Medical Support Assistant to perform technical and administrative support duties that facilitate direct patient care by physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nursing assistants, and other medical staff. The employee may work in the Call Center, Urgent Care, or, infrequently, with an interdisciplinary care team in a primary care team or specialty clinic. The Cincinnati VA Medical Center operates a two-division campus in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Fort Thomas, Kentucky, serves 15 counties across Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and Southeast Indiana, and supports six Community Based Outpatient Clinics and two additional Cincinnati-area locations.

The Medical Support Assistant schedules and manages patient appointments and consults, maintains and reviews electronic health and administrative records, verifies patient demographics and insurance information, supports patient communication and customer service, and coordinates administrative functions related to patient care and transfers. The position requires use of office automation equipment and clinical databases, independent handling of scheduling issues within clinic policies, and protection of patient confidentiality under HIPAA. The full performance level is GS-05; the vacancy may be filled at GS-03 through GS-05.

The work is mostly sedentary and involves sustained periods of sitting and concentration, with some walking, standing, bending, and carrying light objects. Occasional stooping, reaching, lifting, pulling, or other moderate exertion may be required. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 1530–2400, with rotating weekends. Telework is not available, and the position is not virtual.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy.
• High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or state or territorial proficiency certificate.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• For GS-04: one year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade or one year of education above high school.
• For GS-04: basic medical terminology; ability to record patient messages and understand physician requests for follow-up care; courteous communication with people from varied backgrounds and health care team members; and ability to navigate office automation equipment and software.
• For GS-05: one year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade or two years of education above high school.
• For GS-05: advanced medical terminology; customer-service skills; ability to operate computerized systems and handle sensitive medical and identifying information; ability to schedule clinical appointments; ability to work independently; and effective professional communication in person, electronically, or by telephone.
• Meet pre-employment evaluation, background/security investigation, identification, onboarding, and application-document requirements.
• Participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to written certification for continued employment.
• Comply with mandatory employee education and other training requirements.

Responsibilities

• Schedule, cancel, and reschedule patient appointments and consultations, including scheduling with patient input in person or by phone and following VHA national scheduling guidelines.
• Interview patients about appointments, obtain medical information, and refer patients to other medical specialty clinics.
• Answer phones, greet patients and visitors, record and relay messages, and provide information to help resolve patient complaints.
• Review and document electronic health records and administrative records, and enter no-show information.
• Monitor appointment requests from multiple electronic sources and participate in clinic huddles to determine daily needs.
• Verify and update patient demographics and insurance information, including third-party insurance information in the Insurance Capture Buffer system.
• Coordinate information and administrative actions related to patient care and services, including emergency and nonemergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals.
• Determine appointment type based on patient eligibility status.
• Advise clinical staff on current administrative processes and follow provider orders by scheduling consultations, laboratory services, x-rays, and other specialty clinic services.
• Notify the supervisor when clinic access is inadequate or a patient cannot be scheduled within mandated timeframes.
• Use office automation equipment, software, programs, and databases to schedule appointments and maintain record systems.
• Maintain patient confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA requirements.
• Complete mandatory annual TMS assignments and other training or education requirements set by the supervisor.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package available to the employee and family, subject to eligibility and 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