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
• 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
• Experience and Education: Experience
• Six months experience of 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
• OR Education
• One year above high school
• OR Experience/Education Combination
• Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable
• Certification
• None required
• Foreign Education
• To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs
• Physical Requirements
• See VA Directive and Handbook 5019
• 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
• All MSAs employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held, which are a part of the basic requirements of the occupation
• For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Such employees may be reassigned, promoted, or changed to a lower grade within the occupation
• Grade Determinations: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-679-4 grade level Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-04 grade level
• OR Education: Four years of education above high school leading to a Bachelors Degree
• 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 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.
• Candidates must demonstrate (on the resume) all of the KSAs below: 1
• Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter, modify and retrieve medical and patient identifying information (PII) into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems and/or reports
• 2
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients
• 3
• Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting
• 4
• Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work
• 5
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by phone, with internal and external customers
• 6.Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary to ensure a satisfactory resolution
• Reference: Medical Support Assistant Qualification Standard GS-0679
• For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. Physical Requirements: The Medical Support Assistant work is mostly sedentary
• however, some walking
• standing, and carrying light items are required
• Light filing, sometimes involving working close to the floor, is involved
• Wrist and back protection can be provided to minimize the risks associated with prolonged use of automated data processing equipment.