The Medical Support Assistant (MSA) supports multiple areas within the Outpatient Clinics, Health Administration Services and Call Centers. Duties mainly support the overall management and coordination of appointments for Veterans within all Medical Centers or community clinics. Duties also may include scheduling for COVID-19 Vaccine administration activities.

Duties

Located in the in-patient clinical wards, admissions and emergency department; the Medical Support Assistant (MSA) is responsible for initiating and carrying out a variety of administrative duties in support of patient care within in-patient units/ wards, admissions and emergency department. The MSA is responsible for the overall management, coordination and administration of all hospital admissions and accommodation activities. MSAs are to be proficient in all appointment scheduling functions. This position provides support work regarding the care and treatment given to patients in the emergency department, admissions, ward and other such units as assigned. MSAs perform a variety of support duties that facilitate the work of physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nursing assistants, and other members of the medical facility who provide patient care in reference to admissions, patient movement and discharges. The work involves duties such as serving as a ward receptionist, performing record duties, performing provider and treating specialty changes, receiving and relaying messages/information, obtains any prior treatment records needed by the professional staff; bed assignment changes within the unit; keeps current with nursing staff on all patient actions and movements; performs daily validation of ward census and ward rosters assisting with transportation for patient exams, assisting with patient transfers internal/external, referring patients for means testing, answering routine inquiries, making appropriate referral of questions concerning patients' conditions, recognizing and referring urgent inquiries to appropriate professional staff, contacts Social Workers and Case Workers on behalf of nurses/patients for personnel and discharge planning needs; contacts the travel office and AOD for transfer/discharges; contacts escort section for off-ward diagnostic and treatment procedures; updated Bed Management System (BMS), compiles ward morning report on a daily basis and provides information to admitting staff (ARC, SCO, and AOD's) on bed availability, and providing miscellaneous support to the medical staff of the unit. Responsible for making initial contact with the operator for emergencies such as fire, cardiac arrest, Code Blue/Green, and death situations by directing personnel, acting on emergency orders as appropriate. The work requires a practical knowledge of computerized data entry and information processing systems, the medical facility's organization and services, basic rules and regulations governing visitors and patient treatment, and a practical knowledge of the standard procedures, medical records, and medical terminology of the unit supported. The Medical Support Assistant is also responsible for initiating and carrying out a variety of administrative duties in support of COVID-19 Vaccine Administration and regular appointment activities. Serves as the administrative contact for Veterans and visitors. This position is established to support the facility's COVID-19 response. Major duties include but are not limited to: Responsible for scheduling appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. Preparing for clinic visits; monitoring outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility; ensuring encounter forms are completed in order to obtain appropriate workload credit. Performing basic eligibility, co-pays and preauthorization requirements for specific coverage. Makes computer entries to record arrival of patients to the vaccine clinic. Keeps current with nursing staff on patient actions and movements in the clinic. Monitoring the electric wait list and entering no-show information. Work Schedule: Multiple work schedules available, and are generally Monday to Friday during business hours. Exact shifts to be discussed with Supervisor. Telework: Not Available 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

Resume Requirement: Your resume must be detailed include the following information: Job title, description of duties, month/year of employment; and average hours worked per week. Eligible candidates will be interviewed and must meet a minimum score to be considered for current and/or future vacancies as they occur. Those candidates that meet the interview scoring requirements may be selected and placed into any current available vacancies in any service line. If there are no vacancies candidates will be entered into a pool of future hires and placed as vacancies become available. Basic Requirements: Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. 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. Experience and Education: Six months experience f 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. Grade Determination: GS-3 MSA (Entry Level) Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals in a courteous and helpful manner in order to give instructions and arrange appointments. Ability to utilize computer systems to enter administrative data in patient systems. Ability to learn and utilize basic medical terminology to record patient messages and physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care Assignment. This is an entry level MSA position. It is expected that MSAs at this level receive guidance from more experienced staff members and require frequent and direct supervision. At this level, MSAs apply general rules and policies relating to clinic functions, staff, and automated data processing methods in support of treatment to patients. They utilize a variety of patient data systems in scheduling patients for treatment and annotates patient records. They perform front desk duties, receives telephone call, and visitors to the MSA unit. They make and cancel appointments, review patient records for necessary information, and review patient demographics and insurance verification. They consult with clinic staff when processing physician scheduling and administrative orders. GS-4 MSA (Developmental Level) Experience or Education. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must possess one year of experience in 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 two years of education above high school. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate the KSAs below: Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and other health care team members in a courteous and helpful manner in order to facilitate medical care for patients. Ability to use, and navigate between, various types of office automation equipment and software (i.e. computer systems, web-based scheduling programs; insurance collection system; scanning software, multiple line phone systems; electronic faxing programs) to support patient care. Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients. Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics. Assignment. This is a developmental level MSA position. It is expected that MSAs at this level receive minor and less frequent guidance from higher experienced staff members for more difficult tasks. Assignments 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 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. MSAs at this level refer all questions regarding medical attention to the appropriate health care team member. GS-5 MSA (Full Performance Level) Experience or Education. In addition to meeting the basic requirements, candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level OR 4 years of education above high school. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). Candidates must demonstrate the KSAs below: 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. Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution. 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.). References: VA Handbook 5005/53, Part II, Appendix G45, Medical Support Assistant GS-679.The full performance level of this vacancy is 05. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 03 to 05. Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting, 15-44 pounds; Light carrying, under 15 pounds; Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers; walking up to 1 hour; Hearing (aid permitted); may be working alone and/or working closely with others.

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 Tucson VA Medical Center 3601 South Sixth Avenue Tucson, AZ 85723 US
• Name: MICHAEL HARRIS
• Phone: 562-628-7941
• Email: [email protected]