Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Veterans Health Administration • Alexandria, LA

5d • Onsite

About The Position

The Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) provides comprehensive administrative and clerical support to the Substance Use Disorder Services clinical team within the Mental Health Unit, coordinating healthcare services and supporting continuity of care for Veterans. The position schedules appointments and interprets and verifies provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. The employee coordinates assigned administrative duties, independently sets daily priorities, and adjusts work sequencing to meet team and Veteran needs. The work is performed in an office/clinic setting and requires handling multiple tasks, sometimes in stressful situations.

Requirements

• High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade for the GS-06 level.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Advanced knowledge of the technical healthcare process as it relates to access to care, including scheduling across coordinated care models and patient health care portals.
• Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures for coordinated care and community care operations 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, organize work, 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.
• Must be a U.S. citizen, subject to the stated exception for non-citizen appointments under VA policy.
• Must pass applicable pre-employment requirements, including background/security investigation and physical evaluation; selected applicants in testing-designated positions are subject to urinalysis.
• Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program and complete application and onboarding requirements.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period.
• May be required to stand, lift, carry, sit, stoop, bend, pull, and push; may need to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing.

Nice To Haves

• Computer literacy.
• Customer service experience.

Responsibilities

• Schedule, cancel, and reschedule patient appointments and consults; enter no-show information and monitor the electronic wait list.
• Prepare for clinic visits and monitor inpatient and outpatient appointments in areas of responsibility.
• Ensure encounter forms are completed to obtain appropriate workload credit.
• Verify and update patient demographic and insurance information.
• Process emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals.
• Perform basic eligibility checks for healthcare and travel benefits, co-pays, and preauthorization requirements for specific coverage, including TRICARE and sharing agreements.
• Set priorities and deadlines and adjust work flow and sequencing to meet team and Veteran needs.
• Participate in team meetings and huddles by providing input on operational problems or procedures, and perform administrative follow-up actions.
• Make pre-appointment telephone calls and post-appointment calls to patients who are no-shows.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including annual leave, sick leave, and paid federal holidays.
• Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment, in connection with birth, adoption, or foster care placement.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to income and other eligibility limits.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting.
• 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: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED