Medical Support Assistant

This is an open continuous announcement which will be used to fill any Medical Support Assistant position that may become vacant within the facility and associated CBOCs for which we are hiring and can be used for up to 90 days after the announcement closes. Applicants will be referred as positions become available.
The 1st cut off date for qualified applicants to be referred to the hiring manager will be November 29, 2023 and every four weeks after that as positions become available.

Qualifications:

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Experience and Education.
  • Experience. Six months experience of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position; OR,
  • Education. One year above high school; OR,
  • Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.
• English Language Proficiency. MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.j.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations: Medical Support Assistant, GS-5

• Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level. Experience at this level include, but are not limited to: scheduling and rescheduling patients for treatment; interviewing patients for appointments; referring patients to other medical specialty clinics; providing information to patients necessary to resolve VA Handbook complaints; interacting with both internal and external customers; reviewing and documenting medical outpatient and inpatient electronic health records, as well as administrative records; verifying third party insurance and updating information in the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) system; obtaining medical information from patients; coordinating information and actions related to patient care and services; and scheduling appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. OR,
• Education: Four years of education above high school; AND,
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
  1. Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying information (PII) into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports.
  2. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.
  3. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
  4. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work.
  5. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers.
  6. Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.
• References: VA Handbook 5005/117, Part II, Appendix G45, MSA Qualification Standard.Physical Requirements: Work is performed in an office setting and is primarily sedentary. May require lifting and carrying of light loads (e.g.files, records etc.).Resume Reminder: Your resume must include the following for each job listed: 1) Job title and grade level/salary. In order to show that you meet the experience requirements, you must document grades you have held and how long you have held them; 2) Duties, examples for each work experience, examples of relevant experiences and accomplishments that prove you can perform the tasks at the level required for the job as stated. You must include enough detailed information to support your specialized experience; 3) Month, day and year start/end dates (e.g. 04/02/2019 to 04/13/2020); 4) Hours worked per week for all jobs listed. 5) Full Name and address of Employer 6) Name of Supervisor or Contact name 7) Complete phone number of Supervisor/Contact. To credit experience, you must provide demonstrated experience. Reiterated knowledge skills and abilities will not be qualifying. Narrative responses to explain tasks completed, accomplishments made, and/or specific instances where the skillset has been applied in work are recommended in the assessment questionnaire

Responsibilities:

The MSA independently performs a full range of duties related to the delivery of healthcare services in an inpatient or outpatient setting and advises clinical staff on current administrative processes, and support work relating to the care and treatment given to patients in inpatient units, outpatient clinics, patient scheduling call centers, Care in the Community Support Staff (CitC), and ancillary support services. Responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Answer phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit, scheduling appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines
• Schedule, cancel, re-schedule patient appointments and/or consults
• Enter no-show information and monitor appointment requests from multiple electronic sources
• Participate in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinic
• Monitor both inpatient and outpatient appointments in areas of responsibility
• Verify and update demographics and insurance information when patients check-in for appointments
• Coordinate administrative functions relating to emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals and determines appointment type based on the patient's eligibility status (i.e., TRICARE, sharing agreements, collaterals, research patient, VA employee, etc.)
• Serve as an initial point of contact for the units, clinics, patient, call centers, CitC, to include, but not limited to, scheduling patient appointments, tracking, reviewing, and responding to electronic orders, consults, and other elements in the electronic medical record and medical systems
• Utilize practical knowledge of computerized data entry, information processing systems and software related to patient care, the healthcare system's organization and services, basic rules and regulations governing visitors and patient treatment
• Apply, knowledge of standard procedures, utilizing medical records, and medical terminology

Work Schedule: This will be discussed during the interview, multiple work schedules available. Work schedule will be determined upon selection. NOTE: May be expected to work evenings, rotating weekends, and/or holidays.
Telework: Some positions may have telework available. Telework will be discussed during interview.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #:PD000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Salary Information

• Main Wilkes Barre VA Medical Center: $37,696.00 to $49,009.00
• Allentown VA Clinic: $44,057.00 to $57,280.00
• Sayre VA Clinic: $37,696.00 to $49,009.00
• Williamsport VA Clinic: $37,696.00 to $49,009.00