Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)
What you'd do
The Advanced MSA provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model within the Transfer Office at Gulf Coast Veterans Healthcare System (GCVHCS), Biloxi, MS. The work involves specialized administrative judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of administrative flow processes relating to access to care across multiple facilities, specialties, and community resources.
Major duties
Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The primary duties of the Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) may include but are not limited to: Identifies patients receiving non-VA emergency and inpatient care and alerts the transfer team for teaching, utilization review, discharge planning, and transfer coordination. Collaborates with physicians, caregivers, Veterans, family, or other departmental team members, and payor to proactively develop and implement a safe and appropriate discharge or transfer plan. Communicates daily with transfer office RN, Veterans, and facilities regarding patient care needs. Maintains knowledge of bed management systems and appropriately assesses the facility's capacity for transfers in. Maintains a current list of resources for referrals and refers to the appropriate inpatient, outpatient and community resources. Manages critical communications with community providers and Veterans to validate admission and discharge status for Emergency admissions in the community. Ensures that quality of care is maintained or surpassed by collecting quality indicators and variance data and reporting the data to the appropriate department; reports and identifies data that indicates potential areas for improvement of care and services provided within the system. Determines the veteran's eligibility to receive medical services through OCC processes and reviews and updates procedure manuals to maintain knowledge of current procedures and processes. Assures authorization is obtained from appropriate service chief for procedures performed at non-VA facilities. The incumbent ensures that Veteran appointments are made with other VA facility, contract site, or community providers of Veteran's choice as appropriate. The use of automated tracking tools as well as computers to perform a wide variety of recordkeeping, correspondence, tracking operations is required. Educates providers and team members about patient's medical care by e-mails, fax, telephone, and scanning medical documentation into Veteran's medical records. Supports the maintenance of electronic databases to track OCC consults. Demonstrates a high level of flexibility, teamwork, and multi-faceted skills by cross-training to other areas within OCC to provide coverage as needed. Completes multiple assignments varying in degrees of difficulty to ensure patient needs are met, reducing internal transfers, and reducing barriers to unnecessary delays and patient care diversions. Ensures when records are receive that all necessary health/administrative information are integrated in to Computerized patient Record System (CPRS) by sending the documents to the appropriate department for scanning. Screens/receives phone calls in a courteous and timely manner, determine the nature of requests, and provide the information desired using privacy rules and established clinic processes Retains responsibility for maintaining working knowledge of performance and customer satisfaction data pertinent to the Transfer Office and will be held accountable for meeting goals for improvement. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 7:00 am to 3:30 pm. Subject to change by supervisor to meet facility needs. Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (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) 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 #: 02047F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
What you need to qualify
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. No experience required. Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education. Licensure/Certification/Registration. None, English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment listed in paragraph 3 above, the following education and experience criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: GS-06:Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. GS-5 Assignment. This is the full performance level for MSAs. At this level, the MSA independently performs a full range of duties related to the delivery of healthcare services in an inpatient or outpatient setting. Advises clinical staff on current administrative processes. The MSA is responsible for answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit scheduling appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults; entering no-show information; monitoring 7 appointment requests from multiple electronic sources; participating 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. Coordinates 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., TRICARE, sharing agreements, collaterals, research patient, VA employee, etc.). Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: i. 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. ii. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations. iii. Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively, electronically, by phone, in person], and inwriting, 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. iv. 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. v. 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.vi. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology. Preferred Experience: Proficient experience with Excel, Word, and PowerPoint with focus on Excel designing spreadsheets and data charts. Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize and manage multiple, complex patient care plans. 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. 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, pulling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment. 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).
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