Medical Support Assistant - Pathology and Laboratory

Full Job Description

This position will be administrative support within the Pathology and Laboratory department.

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 - 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 (2) Education - One year above high school; or (3) Experience/Education - Equivalent combination of experience and education.

English Language Proficiency: MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.

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: GS-05 (Full Performance) - One year of experience equivalent to the GS-04 ~OR~ -4 years of education above High School and candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: 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.

Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.

Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work.

Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers.

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: For additional information, please refer to VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G45 Medical Support Assistant Qualification Standards, GS-0679, dated August 1, 2019.

This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is 05. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 05 to 05.

Physical Requirements: The work performed is predominately clerical in nature and requires no special physical standards.

The work is usually performed in an office setting, working with others and/or alone. Major Duties:

Duties include but are not limited to: Scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults.

Entering no show information and monitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sources.

Participate in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinic, monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments in areas of responsibility.

Verifying and updating demographics and insurance information when patients check-in for appointments.

Coordinate administrative functions relating to emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals and determines appointment type based on the patient's eligibility status (i.e.

sharing agreements, collaterals, research patient, VA employee, etc.).

Determine nature of the call and assist with communicating needs regarding appointments, medication refills/renewals etc., and/or refers the call to the appropriate clinical or administrative personnel.

Work Schedule: 0730-1600 Functional Statement #: Telework: Not Eligible.