Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) - Clinical Contact Center

Full Job Description

This Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) position is located within the Clinical Contact Center of the Health Administration Service at the Michael E.

DeBakey VA Medical Center located in Houston, Texas.

The AMSA provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model.

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 entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable. Certification. None required. English Language Proficiency.

Medical Support Assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Policy.

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: To qualify for the GS-06 level, your resume must demonstrate you possess the required experience necessary to possess the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) required for the grade.

Be specific when describing the job duties that demonstrate you possess the KSAs listed. Resume must include hours per week for work experience credit.

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-06 Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level.

To qualify for this position, you must demonstrate in your resume that you have experience that includes: Entering, modifying, retrieving sensitive information into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports; Scheduling medical appointments in a clinical setting; Performing patient support work; Providing customer service and identifying patient concerns to ensure satisfactory resolution; Advanced level of medical terminology.

Assignment. The Advanced MSA provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model.

Work involves specialized administrative judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or care in the community resources.

Recommends changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines.

Expertise in utilizing numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics involved in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model.

Coordinates with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability (utilization) to ensure that clinic schedules are closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinics, and makes adjustments as necessary.

MSAs at this level develop and/or maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies (e.g., assist with communications during the inpatient to outpatient discharge; communicate with non-VA medical facilities; prepare correspondence to notify patients of normal lab results; manage a system for follow-up care such as consults, tests, etc.).

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs).

In addition, you must demonstrate ALL of the following KSAs in your resume: 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 due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians. Preferred Experience: Call center experience highly desired.

Experience with medical appointment scheduling software. Experience with Microsoft Office programs.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06.

The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-06.

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position.

May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing.

May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated.

However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations. Major Duties:

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) in a VISN Clinical Contact Center (CCC) is part of an inter-professional healthcare team.

The AMSA provides support across multiple ancillaries and inter-professional clinics and determines the needs of the Veteran/caregiver.

The AMSA is responsible for routing clinical questions to appropriate clinical staff and plays an integral role in achieving first contact resolution through Veteran-centered delivery of care.

Duties of this position may include but are not limited to: Provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an inter-professional coordinated care delivery model.

Utilizes a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or care in the community resources.

Works collaboratively with VISN programs, services, and inter-professional coordinated care team members to provide access to care and meet the needs of Veterans via various available contact modalities to include but not limited to telephone calls, secure messaging, chat, text messaging and video.

Recommends changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines.

Utilizes numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics involved in an inter-professional coordinated care delivery model.

Maintains effective and efficient communication with the patient, inter-professional care delivery teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies; communicate with non-VA medical facilities.

Schedules, cancels, re-schedules patient appointments and/or consults; entering no-show information; monitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sources; gathering and obtaining medical information from patients; processing medication refill requests; reviewing electronic health record, obtaining medical records, and faxing.

Participates in huddles with other MSAs and/or VISN CCC staff to determine the daily needs of the VISN CCC.

Informs inter-professional team members about shared patients (i.e.)., those who receive their care at multiple VA centers, or those who receive care in the community.

Provides information and resolution to Veterans' requests within scope, uses administrative judgement to escalate symptomatic concerns to clinicians within the VISN CCC or directs the contact to the appropriate discipline within the CCC or department for resolution.

Screens incoming contacts and independently routes the contacts to the appropriate area for resolution.

Uses advanced knowledge of health care process as it relates to access of care to ensure Veteran appointment scheduling is efficient, operational and prioritized to maintain Veteran flow and clinic readiness.

Provides accurate details of organizational information to Veterans regarding the different services the VA offers. Provides high-quality customer service to Veterans and their families/caregivers.

Communicates tactfully and effectively to challenging customers who may be threatening, abusive, or distraught. Resolves Veteran complaints as appropriate.

Performs duties as assigned to ensure efficient and effective operations.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 3:30 pm - 12:00 am, rotating weekends and Holidays (subject to change based on the needs of the facility) Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.

When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

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).

Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience.

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.

Functional Statement #: 580-99708-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized