This position serves as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant in Social Work Service for the James H. Quillen Affairs Medical Center (JHQVAMC) located at Mountain Home, Tennessee. JHQVAMC is a teaching hospital affiliated with East Tennessee State University. It encompasses one (1) Outpatient Clinic at Knoxville, Tennessee; five (5) Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC) two, located in Virginia: Bristol and Norton, and three (3) in Tennessee: Rogersville, Morristown, and Sevierville.

Duties

The Advanced Level Medical Support Assistant (MSA) position serves as a Hospital Support Clerk and is a foundational role within multiple social work clinics. The MSA collaborates with other members of the healthcare team in the clinic to provide a robust interdisciplinary approach to care. Important interfaces and collaborations also occur with larger health care system providers including VA and non-VA specialists, hospitals, diagnostic and treating facilities, and community based programs. The incumbent performs duties related to the receipt, intake, and indexing of health and administrative information. The incumbent will interact with Veterans and the Veterans' families as well as interface with personal computer (PC) applications utilizing numerous VistA applications as well as Microsoft Office Programs. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:45am - 4:30pm or similar. Telework: No. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #:000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/05/2023. 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 or other 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. 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). Grade Determinations: GS-06 In addition to the basic requirements above, applicants must meet the following experience: Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-5) which is: Ability to operate computerized programs and databases in order to enter, modify and retrieve sensitive information/data into or from electronic medical records, scheduling systems and/or reports; Knowledge of basic medical terminology; Ability to make appointments in a clinical setting; Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties, including setting priorities and coordinating work.; Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with employees at varying grade levels. and Ability to identify customer's concerns, perform the tasks required to resolve the issue accurately and timely, and follow-up as necessary to ensure a satisfactory resolution. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient's appointments and/or consults; entering no-show information; monitoring the electronic wait list; preparing for clinic visits; monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility; ensuring encounter forms are completed in order to obtain appropriate workload credit; verifying and updating demographics and insurance information; processing all emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals; performing basic eligibility, co-pays and pre-authorization requirements for specific coverage (i.e., TRICARE, sharing agreements, etc.). NOTE: Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting] at the next lower grade level. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity/difficulty and a range of varieties. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate the KSAs below: 1. 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. 2. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations. 3. 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. 4. 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. 5. 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. 6. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians. References: VA Handbook 5005/53, Part II, Appendix G-45 Physical Requirements: Typically, the Advanced Medical Support Assistant must be able to operate a computer terminal and be able to manage multiple activities at one time. Work is generally sedentary; however, there may be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items. Work Environment: The work may be stressful due to the accelerated pace for several hours at a time during peak clinic hours or on days that have a large volume of clinic activity. The position is above the full performance level. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is at the GS 6 grade.

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 James H Quillen VA Medical Center Corner of Lamont Street and Veterans Way Mountain Home, TN 37684 US
• Name: Mark Condra
• Phone: 615-873-7745
• Email: [email protected]