Advanced Medical Support Assistant

Summary The VA New Jersey Health Care System is currently recruiting for an Advanced Medical Support Assistant for the Ambulatory Care Service. This position may be assigned to the East Orange or Lyons campuses, or to any Community Based Outpatient Clinic. The Advanced Medical Support Assistant will assist Veterans with managing inpatient & outpatient appointments, monitor clinic setup, coordinate with clinic staff, and maintain communication with patients, care teams, and outside agencies. Duties Major duties include but are not limited to: Assists Veterans with inpatient and outpatient appointment management, ensuring smooth, coordinated scheduling. Performs support duties that facilitate the PACT interdisciplinary care delivery model. Monitors clinic setup, makes adjustments, and collaborates with clinic staff and PACT members. Applies advanced knowledge of health care access, clinic management, and medical terminology. Enters, modifies, and retrieves sensitive data in medical records, scheduling systems, and reports; maintains confidentiality per HIPAA. Reviews clinic schedules to optimize utilization for clinics and Veterans. Maintains effective communication with patients, care teams, VA medical centers, and outside agencies to support continuity of care. Works with the Medical Support Assistant Supervisor to meet deadlines, prioritize workload, and address operational issues. Evaluates patient information and schedules to determine vested status; educates providers on shared patients. Applies knowledge of facility organization, eligibility/treatment regulations, and records procedures. Supports process improvement, customer service, and electronic file security. Facilitates secure messaging with patients and care team; mails normal lab result notifications. Tracks follow-up care (e.g., consults, tests); monitors pre-appointment readiness (e.g., X-ray, labs, EKG). Participates in daily huddles and weekly meetings to plan care and adjust workflow. Reinforces care plans and self-help solutions; documents in the electronic record. Works within PACT or other specialty care models (e.g., PCMH, Nutrition, Pharmacy, Social Work). Reviews clinic utilization reports (e.g., Clinic Utilization Statistical Summary). Coordinates schedule scrub, cancellations, blocking, and rescheduling with PACT; reviews open encounters daily. Scans Non-VA medical documentation; captures insurance information; addresses daily RTC orders. Assists with virtual appointment management; performs basic eligibility determinations per VA policy. Provides input on PACT problem-solving and follow-up; orders administrative supplies. Performs other duties as assigned. Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Intermittent/Part-Time. Work schedule will be discussed during the interview. 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) 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 #: 21X72-A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Qualifications 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: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a). English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Experience: None. Education: High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education. 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. Licensure/Certification/Registration: None. 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. For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply: Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation. NOTE: This provision is not intended to regularize appointments/ placements. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for placement at grade levels specified. a. Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-06. Experience: In addition to the basic requirements, you must have (1) one year of creditable experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of creditable experience would typically include, but are not limited to: scheduling, canceling, and rescheduling patient appointments and/or consults; entering no-show information; monitoring 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; and 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.). AND, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (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 aff