Medical Support Assistant

The Primary Purpose of the Position is:

To perform administrative and clerical support work relating to the care and treatment given to patients of the inpatient units, outpatient clinics, ancillary support services, scheduling call center, Eligibility and Enrollment (E&E) office, Beneficiary Travel Reimbursement office, and Compensation and Pension office at these facilities

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.

• United States Citizenship
  :
  Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Experience
  . No experience required.
• Education
  . High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• 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
• English Language Proficiency
  . Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

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).

None beyond the basic requirements.

Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-3). Experience includes, but is not limited to: applying general rules and policies relating to clinic functions, staff, and automated data processing methods in support of treatment to patients; utilize a variety of patient data systems in scheduling patients for treatment and annotates patient records; perform front desk duties, receives telephone call, and visitors to the MSA unit;

make and cancel appointments, review patient records for necessary information, and review patient demographics and insurance verification; consult with clinic staff when processing physician scheduling and administrative orders.

OR,

Education:

One year of education above high school. (Transcript Required)

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

(a) Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients.
(b) Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics.
(c) 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.
(d) 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

Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-4). 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:

Two years of education above high school. (Transcript Required)

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

(a) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.
(b) Skill in customer service with the ability to identify…