Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Veterans Health Administration•Iowa City, IA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant supports the Surgical Care Service within the Iowa City VA Health Care System in a Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) model. The PACT team generally includes a provider, registered nurse care manager, clinical associate, and administrative associate. The Advanced MSA coordinates with the patient care team to review clinic utilization reports, monitor clinic setup, and make adjustments to support clinic needs. The role develops and maintains effective communication with patients, interdisciplinary teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies. This includes supporting transitions from inpatient to outpatient care, communicating with non-VA medical facilities, processing secure messages, notifying patients of normal lab results, and managing follow-up tracking systems. The position also supports team huddles and meetings, prioritizes and sequences work, monitors pre-appointment requirements, manages the electronic wait list, follows up on operational issues, evaluates patient and clinic information to determine whether patients are vested, and informs providers about shared patients receiving care across multiple VA facilities or in the community.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship; non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens.
High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or state- or territorial-level proficiency certificate.
Proficiency in spoken and written English.
One year of experience equivalent to GS-5 performing duties related to healthcare service delivery in an inpatient or outpatient setting.
Experience advising clinical staff on administrative processes and performing administrative support, including answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages, and scheduling appointments while interpreting and verifying provider orders under VHA scheduling guidelines.
Advanced knowledge of healthcare processes, including scheduling across interdisciplinary care delivery and care-in-the-community models and patient healthcare portals as they relate to access to care.
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 medical clinicians across multiple disciplines to support team goals and patient care.
Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines while complying with established processes, policies, and regulations.
Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing with internal and external customers; may include preparing reports, presenting data, and resolving patient concerns.
Ability to complete required application steps, online assessment, background/security investigation, and onboarding requirements.
Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with Selective Service.
Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required.
Must serve a one- or two-year trial period.

Responsibilities

Review clinic utilization reports with the patient care team, monitor clinic setup, and make adjustments to support clinic needs.
Communicate with patients, interdisciplinary teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies, including supporting inpatient-to-outpatient transitions and communications with non-VA medical facilities.
Facilitate and process secure messages between patients and the team, notify patients of normal lab results, and develop and manage tracking systems for follow-up care such as consults and tests.
Participate in team huddles and meetings to manage and plan patient care.
Set priorities and deadlines and adjust the flow and sequence of work to meet team and patient needs.
Work with the team to reinforce plans of care and self-help solutions and enter appropriate information into the electronic record.
Monitor pre-appointment requirements to ensure readiness for patient visits or procedures, including required X-rays and lab work.
Manage the electronic wait list to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues.
Participate in problem solving on operational issues or procedures during team meetings and perform administrative follow-up actions.
Follow up independently on team huddles by sharing information and collaborating with the medical team to support continuity of care.
Evaluate patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether a patient is vested.
Educate providers about shared patients receiving care at multiple VA facilities or in the community, and bring this information to the provider's attention.