Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Summary

The incumbent serves as a Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) within the Patient Administrative Service (PAS). This position provides Outpatient and Inpatient administrative services to Veterans residing in the Primary Service Area of the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital. The Edward Hines Jr. VA is a 1A complex facility.

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Duties

Major Duties:

• Must have knowledge of VA policies, regulations, guidelines, and process as they relate to the scheduling of patient appointments, consults, NEAR, Electronic Wait Lists, and pre-appointment clinical requirements (i.e., labs, EKGs, x-rays) to ensure readiness for the patient visit.
• Monitors ICB usage ensuring insurance is collected and captured appropriately at enrollment.
• Must keep abreast of rapidly changing regulations, directives, software patches, programs, and processes involved in the delivery of the healthcare benefits package.
• Assist with the clean-up of the EARR (Encounter Action Required Report) and delinquent recall report; support clinics regarding utilization and clinic profile management i.e., set-up of clinic grids, cancel and restore clinics.
• Screens/receive phone calls in a courteous and timely manner, determine the nature of request and provide the information desired using privacy rules and established clinic processes.
• Promotes Veteran registration for and utilization of My Healthy Vet (MHV).
• Enters Veterans seeking emergent/urgent care, scheduling appointments accurately.
• Utilizes call lists and telephones Veterans to pre-register them before their scheduled visits. Incumbent updates all patient demographics.
• Communicates and interacts with patients in a manner which is appropriate to cognitive, emotional, and chronological maturation needs of the adult and/or geriatric patient.
• The incumbent oversees the status of work for all lower grade MSA positions working in the various clinical services making day-to-day adjustments in accordance with established priorities, obtaining assistance from the supervisor on problems that may arise, such as backlogs which cannot be disposed of promptly. Able to resolve workplace issues, simple informational complaints of employees, referring other to supervisor for resolution. Incumbent will conduct ongoing audits to ensure quality of work for accurate and timely scheduling of appointments. Recognizes and refers substandard performance or substandard behavior to supervisor as needed. Provides information and/or makes recommendations to supervisor on MSA performance, behavior. Identifies education and training needs of staff and evaluating scheduling practices. Makes recommendation for reassignments, recognition for outstanding performance and other personnel needs. Orienting and providing on the job training for new and current employees.
• As a front-line contact with patients and staff, in the scheduling role, the incumbent sets the tone for perception concerning quality of healthcare services at the VA and will show a high degree of tact and diplomacy when dealing with Veterans who have multiple health problems and who may be frustrated with the administrative process associated with diagnosis and treatment. The incumbent supports patient safety standards using appropriate standards of identification. validation i.e., two forms of identification, name, and full Social Security Number. The incumbent must ensure preregistration is completed and collects, scans, and updates health insurance information serving a major role in the revenue process. Will also possess superb telephone etiquette utilizing the standardized telephone greeting while ensuring other frontline staff is as well.
• This incumbent must have the ability to learn the technical competency in the use of BMS, VistA, VSE, CPRS, ICB Scanners, Vet-link, Kiosks, HIN, VAR and MHV. Must provide excellent customer service and have an advanced understanding of medical terminology, medical administrative practices, patient consult processes, patient scheduling procedures, medical record system, Privacy Act, HIPP A rules and the Freedom Act as they relate to the handling of confidential and sensitive patient information.
• Incumbent must be a proficient computer operator who is able to learn, understand, and monitor department specific software programs. Must also be knowledgeable in Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook; proficient in gathering, analyzing, and reporting data as it relates to inpatient units and outpatient clinic operations.
  
  

Work Schedule: Varies per location, generally Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm. Tour of Duty also varies based on the needs of the service and you may be asked to work a Saturday a few times a year for expanding services.

Telework: Not Suitable

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 01764F

Locations:

LaSalle VA Clinic 4461 North Progress Village, Peru, IL 61354

Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital 5000 South 5th Avenue, Hines, IL 60141

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.
• This position is a hybrid title 38 occupation reported among the occupations with the largest staffing shortages and, therefore, under 38 U.S.C.
• 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans' preference to applicants for Fiscal Year 2025.
• Current, Permanent Federal Employees are asked to upload a copy of the most recent SF-50 (that is not for an award), indicating current Federal employment.
  
  

Qualifications

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.
• English: Must be proficient in basic written and spoken English.
• 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 Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.
  
  

GS-6 GRADE REQUIREMENTS:

Specialized Experience: Must have one (1) year of experience that is directly related to the duties of a MSA and that equips you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. To be creditable, this experience must be equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-5, and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current MSA responsibilities. Experience at this level 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 emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals; and performing basic eligibility, co-pays and preauthorization requirements for specific coverage (i.e., TRICARE, sharing agreements, etc.).

AND,

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

• 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:

• Types at 40 words per minute (WPM)
• Proficiency with office automation equipment (i.e., printers, fax, scanners, etc.)
• Proficiency with various computer programs, including Microsoft Office Suite, VistA, CPRS, VSE GUI, etc.
  
  

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.



Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Physical demands do not exceed those of a typical office setting. There may be some walking, standing twisting, turning, sitting, pushing, bending, repetitive keyboarding, or carrying of light items. Some positions may require sitting for long periods of time at a computer terminal typing data while talking on a telephone headset.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Additional information

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act (or the Act) prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from requesting applicant criminal history record information before extending a conditional or tentative offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S.C

• 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R
• 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged non-compliance to VA at vacofairchanceact@va.gov.
  
  
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

Applicants may be selected to fill other vacancies at Hines and its affiliated CBOC's. Tour of duty may vary based on the needs of the service.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

This position is a FY25 VHA Shortage Occupation Approved for Waiver of Veteran's Preference.

Resume Reminder.

Your resume must include the following information for each job listed: Job Title Duties (be as detailed as possible), Month & Year Start/End Dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008), Full-time or Part-time Status (include hours worked per week), Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.

If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.

Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail. Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.

Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application. Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).

You will not be contacted for additional information.

Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.

For additional information see: What to include in your resume.

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