The incumbent serves as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) assigned to the inpatient ward. This position is aligned within the Patient Administration Section (PAS) of Health Administration Service (HAS) and reports to the Chief of the Patient Administration Section.

Duties

The incumbent(s) receives telephone calls for the unit, records, and relays messages to appropriate staff. Provides general information regarding visiting hours, office hours, and whether unit personnel are on duty. Aware of all units to which these policies apply and can identify with each by cross training and rotating units. Refer all questions pertaining to a patient's status or condition and all questions requiring medical or triage determination to the nursing staff. Coordinate with the medical clinics to send inpatients for required tests, pre-operative procedures, therapies, and scheduled appointments based on the doctor's discharge instructions and/or consult management. Receives, directs, transfers, and discharges patients; receives and directs visitors; answer routine, abrupt, and emergent inquires and makes appropriate referral of questions concerning patient's condition. Coordinate with nursing staff, nursing staff supervisor and bed flow coordinator to assign rooms for new admissions and transfers. Builds a medical chart for each new admission. Ensures that all required activities have been completed prior to discharging a patient such as consults and outpatient appointment scheduled related to the inpatient stay and defined in discharge follow-up are scheduled, appointments that were cancelled due to inpatient status are rescheduled. Prepare admission packets. Accurately maintains the Ward Gains and Losses log. Post patient's appointments, therapy times, and required labs and procedures on boards which are maintained at the nurses' station. Performs various administrative duties as it relates to the Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (RRTP) to include admissions and discharges. Respond to technical questions regarding patient rights, responsibilities, and advance directives. Performs a variety of duties in support of data entry and collection for the unit. Ensure that patients who are admitted from the doctor's orders are entered in the CPRS/GUI computer system. Electronically transfers and discharges patients using the VistA and CPRS/GUI systems. Post patients' allergies and medical alerts on the chart and warnings and precautions and nurse/team assignments into the Bed Management System (BMS). Prints and updates the electronic inpatient ward rosters, current lodger list, and inpatient appointment list. Manage and ensures timely and appropriate scheduling of consults and processes. Completes insurance capture entries (ICB) in adherence to local and national measures as third-party collections are a vital aspect of facility revenue. Electronically verifies doctors' orders and alerts staff for time critical medications, labs, x-rays, and EKG's. Manually transcribes doctors' handwritten or electronic orders onto the appropriate medication, pre-op, or treatment sheets for nursing staff. Verifies and corrects patient information in the computer systems concerning treating specialties, providers, and times of movements, and informs supervisor of discrepancies. The incumbent(s) must be conscientious regarding the confidentiality of the variety of material that will be handled. The position requires a practical knowledge of an extensive body of the organization's rules and regulations governing confidentiality, including but not limited to the Privacy Act, Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Prints out and posts the most current on-call rosters, emergency list, and medical/surgical staff listing as appropriate boards on the wards. Ensure that the ward's printers, telephones, fax machines, copiers, document scanners, and shredders are operational and stocked with supplies. Enter electronic work orders into the VistA system to report broken or damaged equipment and fixtures. Duties are performed independently but with supervision and auditing to ensure compliance with VHA directives, procedures, handbooks, laws, and locally established policies. Incumbent accomplishes objectives and uses considerable judgment and initiative in solving problems to assure efficient operation of their duties. Incumbent refers only the most difficult problems to supervisor for guidance and assistance. Performance is evaluated on the quantitative and qualitative effectiveness of the incumbent's ability to perform given job duties. The incumbent will also assist the Eligibility and Enrollment with management in the completion of data validation. Incumbent is responsible for adherence to all provisions of the Equal Opportunity Program in accordance with OPM and VA regulations and established medical center guidelines. Work Schedule: Variable shifts 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

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. 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: 1. Experience. 6 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, 2. Education. One year above high school; OR, 3. Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable Certification: None required. 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 Grade Level: Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the [GS-5] grade level. Experience is defined as experience that includes, but is 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.). Candidates must also be able to demonstrate the following Knowledge, skills, and abilities for the GS-0679-6 level to qualify for this position: 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 and abbreviations Preferred Experience: Inpatient Medical Support Assistant experience preferred. References: VA Handbook 5005/117, Part II, Appendix G45 Dated: August 1, 2019 The full performance level of this vacancy is a GS-06. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is a GS-06. Physical Requirements: VA Directive and Handbook 5019.Work is partially sedentary, with frequent walking, standing, bending. carrying of light items such as papers and books, or small parts. Some slight physical effort may be required. Incumbent may be susceptible to eyestrain from working long hours on the computer.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Huntington VA Medical Center 1540 Spring Valley Drive Huntington, WV 25704 US
• Name: Jennifer Donnellan
• Phone: 304-623-3461 X3097
• Email: [email protected]