The Advanced MSA within the West Texas VA HCS (WTVAHCS) is administratively within the Whole Health Service (WHS) Line. The Whole Health Service provides a wide array of professional and administrative services under various sections, including: (a) Healthy Living, (b) Employee Whole Health, (c) Whole Health Education, (d) Pathway, and (e) Well-Being, and (f) Clinical Care.

Duties

The Advanced MSA primarily provides administrative aid to assigned Whole Health Services programs, teams, and/or providers by scheduling same day appointments, processing Return to Clinic orders, assisting with needs specific to telemental health visits, and sending patient letters. Provides secure messaging support to the My HealtheVet application by receiving, understanding, replying, and forwarding messages as appropriate. The Advance MSA also receives telephone calls, understands the nature of the call, and either completes appointment requests or forwards calls to the appropriate provider for further action or follow up. The Advance MSA also conducts front desk operations by receiving patients who present for scheduled appointments and completing Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) information, updating contact information, and reminding patients of other appointments. The Advanced MSA receives walk-in new or established patients, patients in crisis, staff, visitors, and takes appropriate action. a. Provides broad outpatient whole health service program support to assigned programs, teams, and providers in a customer service check-out window setting. b. Utilizes computerized scheduling software to make, cancel, or amend patient appointments, following national and service-specific scheduling guidelines. c. Processes Return to Clinic Orders, Clinic Cancellations, and other provider-initiated scheduling activities. d. Ensures appropriate blocking of provider clinics to minimize scheduling errors (e.g., doublebooking patients). e. Ensures grid fidelity (e.g., only scheduling patients in available clinical slots unless otherwise authorized). f. Attends and participates in weekly huddles and other service meetings. g. Verifies and updates demographics and insurance information, as necessary h. Processes all emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals. i. Performs basic eligibility, co-pays and preauthorization requirements for specific coverage (e.g., TRICARE, sharing agreements). j. Completes daily review of, and completes follow-up actions for, active/pending consults, EWL, recall list, Return to Clinic Orders, NEAR list and various communication technologies for accuracy and disposition. k. Notifies supervisor when clinic access is less than desirable or if an individual patient cannot be scheduled within mandated clinic timeframe. l. Coordinates administrative services for Veterans, family members, caregivers, and general public, administrative and clinic to ensure continuity of patient care. m. When records are received, the incumbent will ensure that all necessary health/administrative information are integrated into Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) by sending the documents to be scanned. n. Remains available, accessible, and responsive to designated providers, ensuring timely completion of scheduling and other administrative requests o. Initiates and maintains liaisons with associated programs or providers in order to effectively coordinate services for assigned patients or other Veteran engaged in whole health care. p. Adheres to Whole Health Service, WTVAHCS, Veterans Health Administration, and other medical or legal standards and policies. q. Receives calls placed and makes, cancels, or amends appointment requests according to national standards; monitors call times, hold times, and abandonment rates. r. Provides assigned consult / referral / specialty program support. s. Utilizes the My HealtheVet application to receive requests or inquiries from patients; replies to simple questions, makes appointments, or forwards to appropriate provider for clinical triage or action. t. Adds or deletes clinic provider profiles for use or discontinuation in the My HealtheVet application. u. Utilizes the Veteran Appointment Request mobile application to receive, schedule, or reply to patients requesting appointments. v. Places telephone calls to patients utilizing the Veteran Appointment Request mobile application when requests cannot be made utilizing the application. w. Greets patients, verifies scheduled appointments, and reminds patients of other appointments or needed lab work. x. Directs patients to waiting areas y. Receives new or established walk-in patients, patients in crisis, staff, visitors, and makes notifications or directs accordingly. z. Utilizes Insurance Capture Buffer equipment and software to receive payment information from patients. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: May be available to highly qualified candidates 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 This is a bargaining unit position

Requirements

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: 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. Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs. 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: Advanced Medical Support Assistant GS-6 Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. Assignment. The Advanced MSA provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Work involves specialized administrative judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or care in the community resources. Recommends changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines. Expertise in utilizing numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics involved in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Coordinates with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability utilization to ensure that clinic schedules are closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinics, and makes adjustments as necessary. MSAs at this level develop and/or maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies (e.g., assist with communications during the inpatient to outpatient discharge; communicate with non-VA medical facilities; prepare correspondence to notify patients of normal lab results; manage a system for follow-up care such as consults, tests, etc.).Other assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: processes incoming patient secure messaging through MyHealthyVet and coordinates with care team as appropriate; participates in team huddles and team meetings to manage, plan, problem solve, and follow-up with patient care by sharing information and collaborating with the interdisciplinary team]; setting priorities and deadlines, adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs; identifies incomplete encounters and communicates findings to providers; as needed; assists the team to reinforce the plan of care and self-help solutions; enters appropriate information into the electronic record; monitors pre appointment information and/or requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure; manages patient systems to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues; evaluates patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether the patient requires an immediate appointment; informs team members about shared patients (i.e, those who receive their care at multiple VA centers or those who receive care in the community). For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity difficulty, and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. 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. Preferred Experience: Experience as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant Experience in using VA Scheduling software and systems (e.g. ,VISTA, Scheduling Enhancements, VA Online Scheduling Experience working in Whole Health or Behavioral Health Service. References: VA Handbook 5005/117 Part II Appendix G45 Medical Support Assistant dated August 1, 2019. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.

Education

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

Note: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

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 George H O'Brien Jr VA Medical Center 300 Veterans Boulevard Big Spring, TX 79720 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]