Summary

VA Northern Indiana Health Care System is seeking enthusiastic and dependable applicants to fill Medical Support Assistant positions. The incumbent will perform support work relating to the care and treatment given to patients in inpatient units - outpatient clinics - patient scheduling call centers - Care in the Community Support Staff - and ancillary support services.

Qualifications

The following are requirements for appointment as a Medical Support Assistant (MSA) in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). These requirements apply to all VHA MSAs in the General Schedule (GS)-0679 series.

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 Language Proficiency

MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - Chapter 3 - Section A - paragraph 3.j

Experience and/or Education:

Experience

No experience required

OR

Education

One year above high school TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED

Certification

None required

Creditable Experience

(1) Knowledge of MSA Practices

To be creditable - the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge - skills - and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting

Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid/non-paid employment as an MSA or an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting

(2) Quality of Experience

Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting at the next lower grade level

For all assignments above the full performance level - the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope - administrative independence - complexity (difficulty) - and a range of varieties as described in this standard - at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time

(3) Part-Time Experience

Part-time experience as an MSA or equivalent administrative patient support in a [non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting] is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek

For example - an MSA employed 20 hours a week - or on a 1/2-time basis - would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service

Grade Determinations - In addition to the basic requirements for employment listed above - the following education and/or experience criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:

Medical Support Assistant - GS-4

Experience

One year of experience in 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

This experience may include but is not limited to

receive guidance from more experienced staff members and require frequent and direct supervision

At this level - MSAs apply general rules and policies relating to clinic functions - staff - and automated data processing methods in support of treatment to patients

They utilize a variety of patient data systems in scheduling patients for treatment and annotates patient records

They perform front desk duties - receives telephone call - and visitors to the MSA unit

They make and cancel appointments - review patient records for necessary information - and review patient demographics and insurance verification

They consult with clinic staff when processing physician scheduling and administrative orders

OR

Education

One year of education above high school

TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED

Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities

Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSA's below:

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

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

Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients

Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics

Medical Support Assistant - GS-5

Experience

One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level

This experience may include but is not limited to

receive minor and less frequent guidance from higher experienced staff members for more difficult tasks

Assignments at this level include - but are 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

MSAs at this level refer all questions regarding medical attention to the appropriate health care team member

OR

Education

Two years of education above high school

TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED

Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities

Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSA's 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: VA Handbook 5005/117 PART II APPENDIX G45

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-05

The actual grade which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-03 to GS-05

Physical Requirements: The majority of work is performed in an office setting - primarily while seated

The position requires some standing - ambulation - bending - and carrying of items such as training manuals

The MSA is required to sit for long periods of time at a computer terminal typing data while having face to face contact with Veterans and answering the telephone

In addition - there can be increased stress due to the intensity of a patient/customer complaint or concern

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Duties

VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional GS-03

This is an entry level MSA position

At this level - MSAs apply general rules and policies relating to clinic fu

• 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
• 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
• Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients
• Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics
• 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

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• Proficient in spoken and written English
• One year above high school (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)
• Experience demonstrating knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting
• For GS-4: One year of experience in clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work. OR One year of education above high school (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED).
• For GS-5: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level. OR Two years of education above high school (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED).