Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Veterans Health Administration • Lexington, KY

10d • Onsite

About The Position

The incumbent serves as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant in the Outpatient Clinic Unit of the Ambulatory Care & Processing Section of the Health Administration Service at a two-division teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Kentucky Medical Center and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The employee works at either the Cooper Drive or Leestown Road location and may be required to work at the other location as needed.

The position works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care environment, supporting clinic operations, patient access, and administrative functions. The Advanced Medical Support Assistant monitors clinic utilization and setup, coordinates with the patient care team, communicates with patients and internal and external partners, and supports appointment and consult management. The role also includes training and precepting developmental-level Medical Support Assistants.

The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Telework is not available, and the position is not virtual. The role is generally sedentary but may involve walking, standing, bending, and carrying light items. Work may be stressful during peak clinic hours or periods of high clinic activity.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for appointments when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or state or territorial proficiency certificate.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level, including relevant medical support and scheduling duties.
• Demonstrated advanced knowledge of healthcare processes related to access to care, including scheduling across coordinated care models and patient healthcare portals.
• Demonstrated 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 achieve team goals and meet patient care needs.
• Ability to independently prioritize and organize work, meet deadlines, and comply with established processes, policies, and regulations.
• Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively by electronic means, phone, in person, and in writing with internal and external customers; this may include preparing and presenting reports and resolving patient concerns.
• Ability to operate a computer terminal and manage multiple activities at once.
• Meet applicable physical requirements; work may include walking, standing, bending, and carrying light items.
• Complete the required application steps and online assessment; meet background and security requirements and applicable onboarding requirements.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for VA Health Care Personnel.
• Serve a one- or two-year trial period, with continued employment subject to written certification.
• Provide detailed resume documentation of experience, including job title, duties, start and end dates by month and year, and hours worked per week.

Nice To Haves

• Prior work experience or military service may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, subject to request and approval.
• Current VHA employees in the occupation may qualify under the applicable grandfathering provision.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery environment, including patient-aligned care teams and specialty care.
• Coordinate with the patient care team to review clinic utilization using reports such as the Clinic Utilization Statistical Summary.
• Monitor clinic setup and make necessary adjustments to support clinic needs.
• Maintain effective communication with patients, interdisciplinary and management teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies.
• Collect, scan, and update health insurance information; promote Veteran registration and use of My HealtheVet (MHV).
• Train other Medical Support Assistants on correct clinic operations and serve as a preceptor to developmental-level MSAs.
• Schedule appointments and notify a supervisor when clinic access is inadequate or patients cannot be scheduled within mandated timeframes.
• Review active and pending consults, encounters, the Electronic Wait List, recall lists, and MHV secure messaging daily for accuracy and disposition.
• Report backlogs, deadline difficulties, uncooperative physicians, and difficulty obtaining information from clinicians or employee plans.
• Organize work independently and resolve scheduling problems and deviations based on clinic operations and policy, schedules, and provider preferences.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, comprising 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of 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 requirements.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and a federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• 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