Medical Support Assistant-MH ICC

The Medical Support Assistant (MSA) at the St. Cloud VA Health Care System's Mental Health Outpatient Clinic (MHOPC) serves as the initial administrative point of contact for Veterans, their families, and other visitors.

VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant:

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The MSA is tasked with performing intermediate clerical and administrative duties associated with patient care and treatment, such as scheduling, canceling, and rescheduling appointments, interpreting, verifying provider orders, and managing patient records. This role involves greeting visitors, answering phone calls, recording messages, and directing inquiries appropriately while ensuring compliance with HIPAA regulations.

Communication

Acts as a receptionist, handling incoming and outgoing calls, recording messages, directing calls and visitors, and conveying information appropriately

Demonstrates positive people skills that reflect caring, service orientation, professionalism, understanding, helpfulness, and concern toward Veterans, visitors, and other employees.

Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with people of all educational backgrounds.

Utilizes basic medical terminology to ensure that Veterans and other callers are directed to the most appropriate place of assistance.

Participates in team huddles/meetings, sharing information and collaborating with the medical team to ensure continuity of care.

Administrative and Operational

Serves as an agent in the department for scheduled and unscheduled visits.

Maintains flexibility in adapting to changes in schedule and workload. Assists other team members willingly. Responsible for scheduling, canceling, and rescheduling appointments, interpreting, and verifying provider orders according to VHA National scheduling guidelines and facility policies

Provides support to the Behavioral Health and Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) and other specialty staff.

Demonstrates the ability to multi-task in high-pressure situations and prioritize changing workflows accordingly

Assists with tasks such as obtaining office supplies, dealing with medical data, scanning, making copies, faxing, and distributing mail.

Enters appropriate information into the Veterans electronic medical record.

Adheres to HIPAA regulations and ensures that Veteran information is shared only on a need-to-know basis.

Promptly and accurately initiates and checks on status of referrals, lab, and imaging procedures.

Updates Veteran's demographic information to include the following: address, phone number, insurance, preferred method of communication, guardianship reminder, and other information as new programs are added or changed.

Receives and responds to inquiries via Secure Messaging, Message Manager, VAR, VEText, letters, or phone calls. These can include getting information to Veteran care teams through the entry of a note into the CPRS system and alerting the appropriate clinical staff member, requesting tests or medications, questions on appointments, scheduling, and various other inquiries.

Demonstrates high proficiency in using computer systems and office procedures, ensuring detailed and accurate data entry and record-keeping.

Make numerous calls each day to coordinate information and actions relating to patient care and services. Relays information and requests from the patients and /or clinical services to the treatment team.

The MSA schedules and arranges patient appointments to avoid conflict of treatment. Next notifies professional staff of appointments pending and any special preparation needs.

Provides clerical support for the use of the computer contingency plan.

Manage appointment scheduling with more independence, interpreting, and verifying orders, avoiding conflicts, and notifying professional staff of appointments.

Assist in training new or less experienced employees

Work Schedule:

Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus):
Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance):
Not Authorized

Pay:
Competitive salary and regular salary increases

Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)

Parental Leave:
After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Child Care Subsidy:
After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.

Retirement:
Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA

Insurance:
Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

Telework:
Not Available

Virtual:
This is not a virtual position.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS):
Not Authorized