Medical Support Assistant

Summary

The Medical Support Assistant (MSA) serves in the Surgical Care Service Line for the Iowa City VA Health Care System at the Iowa City campus. The MSA performs duties related to the receipt, intake, and indexing of health and administrative information. The incumbent will interface with personal computer (PC) applications as well as numerous Vista applications.

Duties

• NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. The MSA is responsible for 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'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 all emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals Performing basic eligibility, co-pays and preauthorization requirements for specific coverage Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm or 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: a. Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens b. Experience. None. c. Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education. d. Licensure/Certification/Registration. None. f. Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. g. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements. h. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Grade Determinations: Medical Support Assistant, GS-03. Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements. Assignment. This is an entry level MSA position. It is expected that MSAs at this level will receive guidance from more experienced staff members and require frequent and direct supervision. Medical Support Assistant, GS-04. Experience or Education. Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.; OR Education. One year of education above high school. Assignment. This is a developmental level MSA position. It is expected that MSAs at this level will 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 VA Handbook complaints; interacting with both internal and external customers; reviewing and documenting medical outpatient and inpatient electronic health records, as well as administrative records Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs).In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients. (b) Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics. (c) 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. (d) 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. Medical Support Assistant, GS-05. Experience or Education. Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade; OR Education. Two years of education above high school. 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 health care 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, and scheduling appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructio…

Education

If using post-high school education to substitute for experience at the GS-04 or GS-05, you must submit a copy of your unofficial or official transcript with your application. If selected, to meet the basic requirement of high school education or equivalent and prior to a job offer being extended, applicants must provide one of the following as verification of the education requirement if not covered under the grandfathering provision: Copy of high school diploma OR high school transcript (unofficial or official) OR GED Certificate OR homeschooling completion OR proficiency certificate issued by a State or Territorial Board or Department of Education OR College transcript (official) 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/.