The vacancy for Medical Support Assistant (MSA) supports the Oregon, Bend VA Healthcare System. The MSA is responsible for scheduling appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines.

Duties

Medical Support Assistant, GS-5 The Medical Support Assistant (MSA) performs a variety of administrative and clerical duties. The incumbent is responsible to execute the following duties: Interact with both internal and external customers in a positive manner Answer phone calls, emails, or other means from internal and external customers and triage appropriately. Use products from the Microsoft Office Suite and the ability to type 30+ words per minute. Obtain medical information from patients. Assists patients through the check in and check out process either in person or via kiosk. Notifies the appropriate staff members of the patient's arrival. Provides patients with the After Visit Summary as part of the check out process. Schedules appointments and accurately interprets and verifies provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines and local policies and procedures. Use community care consults to ensure patients get timely appointments, if criteria are met accordingly. Establish and maintain medical out patient and inpatient records as well as administrative records. Enters appropriate information into patient's electronic health records. Complete additional duties as assigned by Lead MSA and/or supervisor. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:00am - 5:30pm (Varying Tours) Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: Medical Support Assistant/00000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: 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. Certification. Not required Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. English Language Proficiency. MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A. Knowledge of MSA Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid/non-paid employment as an MSA or an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting]. 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 as described in this standard, at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. 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: Medical Support Assistant, GS-5Experience. One year of experience 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 GS-4 ; OR Education. Four years of education above high school. Assignment. This is the full performance level for MSAs. At this level, the MSA independently performs a full range of duties [related to the delivery of healthcare services in an inpatient or outpatient setting. Advises clinical staff on current administrative processes.] The MSA is responsible for [answering 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. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling [patient] appointments and/or consults; entering no-show information; monitoring [appointment requests from multiple] electronic [sources; participating in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinic], monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments [in] areas of responsibility; verifying and updating demographics and insurance information when [patients check-in for appointments. Coordinates 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.). Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate the KSAs below: i. 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. ii. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients. iii. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting. iv. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work. v. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers. vi. 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 Pt 2 appendix G45 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-5 to GS-5.

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 VA Portland Health Care System 3710 Southwest US Veterans Hospital Road Portland, OR 97239 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]