This is an open continuous announcement for Medical Support Assistant vacancies with the VA Northport HCS, throughout the clinical areas of the medical center, including all Outpatient Clinics, Scheduling Call Center, Inpatients Units, HAS/Emergency Dept., Community Care. The announcement will remain open until the closing date of the announcement or until all vacancies have been filled, whichever occurs first. Applications will be reviewed and referred to the hiring managers as needed.

Duties

Major duties include but are not limited to: 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 duties. Answers phones, greet patients and relay messages to the appropriate staff inside or outside unit. Schedule, canceling, re-scheduling appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. Entering no-show information. Monitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sources. Participates in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinic. 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 patients' eligibility status. Work Schedule: Various full-time tours are available and will be discussed during interview. Tours may include evenings, weekends and holidays. Telework: Not available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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 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 the 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. Creditable Experience: (1) 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. (2) 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. Grade Determinations: Medical Support Assistant, GS-5: In addition to the basic requirements for employment listed above, the following experience or education and required KSAs must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level; Experience includes but is 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; OR, Education: Four years of education above high school. AND, Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs): Candidates must demonstrate all of 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/117, Part II, Appendix G45. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. Physical Requirements: ???????See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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 Northport VA Medical Center 79 Middleville Road Building 200 Northport, NY 11768 US
• Name: Kimberly Ohalloran
• Email: [email protected]