Advanced Medical Support Assistant

Summary

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (MSA) position is a foundational role within the VHA Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) initiative to include all interdisciplinary clinics that support the initiative as well as the Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) and Community Living Center. Must be knowledgeable of the administrative policies and procedures to respond to an internal or external disaster.

Duties

• The Advanced MSA works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model (i.e., PACT, Specialty Clinics, C&P and Call Center) and performs administrative duties, customer service and other duties assigned for the proper and timely treatment of patients and maintains appointment schedules for one or more outpatient clinics. The incumbent performs a variety of duties in one or more outpatient clinics that provide a variety of medical services. The incumbent(s) must have knowledge of clinic procedures and regulations; basic medical terminology, skill in operating computer systems and applications, such as VistA, CPRS, and Microsoft applications to accurately enter or extract information. Initiate and complete registration and eligibility determination for medical care applications. Update and verify demographic information, scheduling appointments, collecting insurance information, data entry, administratively managing consultation requests and the electronic waiting list, and notifying the patient of his/her scheduled appointment. Demonstrate technical competency in the use of the VistA and CPRS systems and be able to train others in its use. Orients medical staff to basic administrative policies and procedures dealing with outpatient scheduling and other administrative topics. Provides administrative support to administrative and professional staff throughout the Primary Care Service area. Provide excellent customer service and adhere to VA local, National and Service policies and procedures. Supports patient safety standards using the correct Veterans Affairs identification of all patients using two forms of identification. Validate and update patient demographic information, either in person during check-in or over the phone, to decrease the incidence of returned mail due to incorrect addresses and inability to contact patient by phone due to incorrect number. Explains the VA's mandate to collect insurance information to veterans, their families, and other eligible patients. Collects, scans, and updates health insurance information, serving a major role in the revenue process. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Functional Statement #772206F Advanced Medical Support Assistant Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Qualifications

To qualify for appointments to this position, all applicants must possess the following: English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Grandfathering Provision. Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held, including positive education and registration/certification where applicable. Basic Requirement: Candidates must possess one of the following High school diploma or transcript (including homeschooling) General Education Development (GED) certificate Proficiency certificate issued by a State or Territorial Board or Department of Education Post-high school education You do not have one of the education levels listed above, but you were in the Medical Support Assistant occupation (GS-0679) on a permanent appointment with the Department of Veterans Affairs as of February 5, 2026, meeting all qualification requirements as part of the grandfathering provision Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for placement at grade levels specified. GS-06.Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-06. Experience Requirement. In addition to meeting the basic requirements, candidates must possess one (1) year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-05). Creditable experience include but are not limited to: answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit; scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults; entering no-show information; 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. Coordinating 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.). Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to meeting the experience for the GS-06 level, candidates must possess the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. (a) 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. (b) 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. (c) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians. (d) 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. (e) Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations. (f) 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 va…

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.