These positions fall under Clinical Operations - Specialty Care and are full-time at 40 hours per week. Most shifts are Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Medical Support Assistants may work tours other than their regular scheduled tour, including working evenings, nights, weekends/holidays to cover shortages or high patient volume. Shift changes will be considered based on patient and facility needs.

Duties

Assignment for Outpatient Care: Schedules appointments, updates patient demographics as well as insurance information. The Medical Support Assistant works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model (i.e., patient aligned care team, or other specialty care setting where the patient aligned care team model is used such as oncology, HIV, Spinal Cord Injury, Military Sexual Trauma, etc.). The Medical Support Assistant coordinates with the patient care team to review the clinic utilization by using various reports (e.g., Clinic Utilization Statistical Summary), ensures that the clinic setup is closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinic, and makes any necessary adjustments. He/She develops and manages a tracking system for follow up care such as consults, tests, etc. May work with the team to reinforce the plan of care and self-help solutions and enter appropriate information into the electronic record; monitors pre-appointment requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure (e.g., X-ray, lab work); manages electronic wait list to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues; evaluates patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether patient is vested; educates providers about shared patients (those who receive their care at multiple VAs or those who have care in the community) and brings to the attention of the provider. Assignment for Inpatient Care: Cross-trained in a variety of complex processes and procedures to include the scheduling and consult system as well as the Bed Management System. Updates daily Ward Rosters to include provider and Attending Physician designations, pager numbers, room/bed, treating specialty. Updates patient demographics as well as the special care flow sheet. Reviews clinic appointment list and assists and coordinate the rescheduling of appointments when it conflicts with inpatient hospital stay. Makes up charts and labels for new admissions. Note: Work Schedule: Rotating, Tour to be discussed during interview. Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework AdHoc: May be authorized at managements discretion. Telework Ad-Hoc work can be performed on an as needed basis anywhere other than a VA facility or using VA-leased space (example: home). Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Title/Functional Statement #:Medical Support Assistant/PDF03813 and PD0000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Notifications: These positions are AFGE Bargaining Unit position. Travel and relocation expenses are not authorized. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. Do not submit an award SF-50. This position is in the Excepted Service. This position is covered by a special rate.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/07/2023 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: Applicant must have 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 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: Must be proficient in spoken and written English. Grade Determinations: GS-3 MSA (Entry Level) (a) Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements. (b) Assignment. This is an entry level MSA position. It is expected that MSAs receive guidance from more experienced staff members and require frequent and direct supervision. (c) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: 1. Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals in a courteous and helpful manner in order to give instructions and arrange appointments. 2. Ability to utilize computer systems to enter administrative data in patient systems. 3. Ability to learn and utilize basic medical terminology to record patient messages and physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care. GS-4 MSA (Developmental Level) (a) Experience or Education. One year of experience in clerical, office work, customer service, or other administrative 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. (b) Assignment. This is a developmental level MSA position. It is expected that MSAs receive guidance from more experienced staff members for more difficult tasks and require frequent and direct contact from the assigned lead and/or supervisor. Assignments at this level include but are not limited to: interacting with both internal and external customers; establishing and maintaining medical outpatient and inpatient charts 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. The MSA refers all questions requiring immediate medical attention to appropriate health care team member. (c) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate the KSAs below: 1. 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. 2. 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. 3. Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients. 4. Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics. GS-5 MSA (Full Performance Level) (a) Experience or Education. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-4) or 4 years of education above high school. (b) Assignment. This is the full performance level for MSAs. At this level, the MSA performs a full range of duties. The MSA is responsible for 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'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.). (c) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidate must demonstrate the KSAs below: 1. 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. 2. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients. 3. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting. 4. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work. 5. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers. 6. 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 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-3 to GS-5. Physical Requirements: The incumbent must work in a multi-screen computer environment being able to use computerized programs on the screens bilaterally. Work is mostly sedentary but may require some standing, walking, bending, twisting, and stair climbing. Mail delivery on the inpatient wards consists of walking and carrying of packages, envelopes, mail and light supplies. RESUME REMINDER: Your resume must include the following information for each job you list: Position title Complete Work Place Addresses Duties (be as detailed as possible) Month and year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008) Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week) Annual salary or hourly wage for each position (if known). Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications

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 White River Junction VA Medical Center 215 North Main St. White River Jct., VT 05009 US
• Name: Dennis Lloyd
• Phone: (207) - 252 - 3523
• Email: [email protected]