Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Veterans Health Administration • Long Beach, CA

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The Long Beach VA Health Care System’s Health Administration Service is recruiting two Advanced Medical Support Assistants in Primary Care. The Advanced MSA provides specialized administrative support to patients while working collaboratively with an interdisciplinary coordinated care team. The role uses administrative judgment and a wide range of clinical-flow processes to support access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and community-care resources. It also involves using advanced patient systems, monitoring clinic schedules and appointment availability, and making adjustments to support clinic needs.

The position works Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Compressed or flexible scheduling, telework, and virtual work are not authorized. The full-performance level and actual grade for this vacancy are GS-6. The position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA policy exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• High school diploma or equivalent; a diploma or transcript is required if no education beyond high school is claimed.
• For GS-6 qualification, one year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 level.
• Advanced knowledge of healthcare processes related to access to care, including interdisciplinary scheduling and patient portals.
• Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures 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 prioritize and organize work, meet deadlines, and comply with 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 pass a pre-employment physical examination and background/security investigation.
• Must participate in the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• May be required to serve a two-year trial period.
• Physical capacity for moderate lifting (15–44 pounds), light carrying (under 15 pounds), reaching above shoulder level, finger use, and walking up to one hour; hearing aids are permitted.

Responsibilities

• Schedule, cancel, and reschedule patient appointments and consults; enter no-show information and monitor electronic wait lists.
• Prepare for clinic visits and monitor inpatient and outpatient appointments in assigned areas.
• Establish and maintain medical charts and administrative records.
• Obtain medical information from patients and coordinate information and actions related to patient care and services.
• Ensure encounter forms are completed to obtain appropriate workload credit.
• Verify and update patient demographic and insurance information.
• Monitor interdisciplinary team setup, including consult categories of care, and make adjustments as needed to support clinic needs.
• Work with the care team to reinforce plans of care and self-help solutions.
• Manage consult metrics and patient systems to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues.
• Participate in team meetings and provide input on operational problem-solving and procedures.
• Coordinate with care teams to review clinic appointment availability and adjust schedules as needed.
• Communicate with patients, interdisciplinary care teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies, including coordinating discharge-related communications and follow-up care.
• Process incoming patient secure messages through My HealtheVet and coordinate with the care team as appropriate.
• Participate in team huddles and meetings to plan, problem-solve, and follow up on patient care.
• Set priorities and deadlines, and adjust work sequencing 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.
• Review patient information and clinic schedules to determine whether patients require immediate appointments.
• Inform team members about patients receiving care at multiple VA centers or in the community.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package available to employees and their families, subject to eligibility.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual for prior 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