The Advanced Medical Support Assistants (AMSAs) are assigned to the Ward Administration section of the Business Development Service Line (BDSL)/Health Administration Service (HAS) located in the Cheyenne VA Health Care System (CVAHCS) in Cheyenne, WY. Advanced MSAs provide coverage 24 hours per day, Sunday through Saturday, including holidays, and support all areas within the Emergency Department (ED) and all Inpatient Wards of the Medical Center including the Medical/Surgical Wards.

Duties

The incumbent serves as a subject matter expert for inpatient clerical responsibilities, including but not limited to scheduling guidelines and regulations, insurance verification, and inpatient administrative processes. Processes all emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals; and performs other assignments at this level including, but not limited to, scheduling and canceling patient's appointments and /or consults; entering no-show information; preparing for clinic visits; monitoring both inpatient and outpatient movement of areas of responsibility; ensuring encounter forms are completed to obtain appropriate workload credit. As the administrative coordinator, the incumbent receives the patient and initiates administration processing, including conducting application and financial assessment interviews with the patient or their relatives. Participates and provides input in problem-solving on operational issues or procedures in team meetings, performs administrative follow-up actions, and participates in and independently follows up on team meetings by sharing information and collaborating with the medical team to ensure continuity of care. Develops and maintains effective and efficient communication with patients, interdisciplinary teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies (e.g., assist with communications during inpatient and outpatient discharge; notification to other VA facilities for traveling Veterans. Works with clinical staff to expedite emergency requests in daily patient care; and must be able to multi-task and work well under pressure. Develops and manages a tracking system for follow-up care such as consults, tests, etc. Monitors pre-appointment requirements to ensure readiness for patient visits/procedures (e.g., X-ray, lab work). Correctly assembles all discharge documents and records for final distribution, processing, and scanning. Searches patient medical and administrative records for specific information (e.g., diseases, diagnosis, type of hospital insurance coverage) to determine patient's eligibility for care, etc., and reports data to physician planning treatment. Maintains various logs/rosters and documents related to patient activity where applicable. Verifies inpatient and seriously ill/sick roster. Assists in orienting and advising professional and administrative staff, house staff, and nursing personnel concerning VA regulations, policies, and procedures on patient care administration matters. Advises and assists with orientating patients and clinical team about Admissions, ED, inpatient unit procedures/routines, and Medical Center programs and services. Responsible for correct and timely processing of all admissions, discharges, inter-ward, and inter-facility transfers; oversaw inpatient discharges' scheduling. Responsible for coordinating appointments, including interpreting, verifying, and completing (if appropriate) provider orders per VHA national scheduling guidelines and regulations. Appropriately schedules appointments per clinic set-up and does not overbook or book out of sequence without proper authority. MSA will process all inpatient medical and mental health discharges with a Primary Care Provider and/or Mental Health appointment(s) when appropriate. These appointments will be made post-discharge. Mental Health appointments will be made for follow-up within 3-7 days post-discharge. Makes computer entries to record the arrival of patients to the Inpatient and the ED; keeps nursing staff updated on patient action and movement in Vista. The incumbent is a frontline resource for bed management systems (BMS) in the patient care setting. Maintains and updates the Bed Management Solutions (BMS) resource board, ensuring all appropriate icons are always displayed accurately, and all patient and team coverage information is kept current throughout the day. Monitors the Emergency Department Integration Software (EDIS) and Bed Management System (BMS), accessing the database from the Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) per VHA Directive 1101.05 for tracking patients being admitted from the emergency room into the VA medical facility for eligibility and accurate patient information. Receives all telephone calls and visitors to the area of assignment (i.e., inpatients, outpatients, families, and friends of patients). Responds to patient inquiries concerning various medical, personal, and administrative matters. Refers all medical questions concerning a patient's condition(s), progress, or treatment to the nurse and/or physician. Work Schedule: 24/7, Sunday through Saturday, including holidays- Available Shift work 8 and/or 12 hours Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 57226-O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. 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 (1) 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, (2) Education. One year above high school; OR, (3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable. GS-6 Grade Determinations: In addition to the Basic Requirements for employment listed above, the following education and experience criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates for Advanced Medical Support Assistant GS-6: Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. Specialized experience includes: 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; Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients; Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting; Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work; Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers; and Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate ALL of the KSAs below: Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines (e.g. medical doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, clinical pharmacists, and nursing staff) to accomplish team goal setting to ensure medical care to patients is met. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance 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. This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, [as well as resolving patient concerns. Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process [(including, but not limited to, scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community models and patient health care portals)] as it relates to access to care. Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community operational activities that affect patient flow, and patient support care administrative functions] to include, but not limited to appointment cycles, outside patient referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, provider availability, etc. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians. References: VA Handbook 5005, Appendix G45The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-6 to GS-6. Physical Requirements: The work is mostly sedentary and requires incumbent to utilize a personal computer resulting in a large amount of keyboarding/data entry. Faxing clinical documentation to the outside providers/vendors at their request during the scheduling/approving process for Fee Basis care. Additionally, lifting and carrying items such as medical records, paperwork, and folders and will be required to do tasks that require some fine manipulation skills/abilities. May be required to work many hours at a computer terminal. Work Conditions: The employee may rotate to various locations to perform assigned duties in an office, nursing station, or clinic setting in close proximity to clinicians and patients. The work area may be small and congested with patients and staff. the work is in a fast paced, busy environment with multiple interruptions. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. Special ergonomic precautions must be taken with sitting and typing. Work involves minimal risks and observance of typical of safety precautions typical of a clinic and office environment. Since work requires a high level of interaction with patients in close proximity to clinic care areas, employees may be exposed to communicable diseases. Employees are required to be tested for TB annually and are offered annual vaccinations to prevent influenza. Additionally, the employee is a times confronted by angry patients or family members, so special violence prevention in the workplace safety precautions are necessary.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Cheyenne VA Medical Center 2360 East Pershing Boulevard Cheyenne, WY 82001 US
• Name: Dwayne Darling
• Phone: 3526000673
• Email: [email protected]