The incumbent serves as the Telehealth Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) and performs clerical and administrative support in the coordination, care, and treatment provided to patients throughout the Telehealth Services within the Fargo VA Health Care System (VAHCS).
Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. Experience and Education. (1) 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 ,(2) Education. One year above high school (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED); OR, (3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable (TRANSCRIPTS 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. 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 Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-6 Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. Assignment. The Advanced MSA [provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Work involves specialized administrative judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or care in the community resources. Recommends changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines. Expertise in utilizing numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics involved in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Coordinates with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability (utilization) to ensure that clinic schedules are closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinics, and makes adjustments as necessary. MSAs at this level develop and/or maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies (e.g., assist with communications during the inpatient to outpatient discharge; communicate with non-VA medical facilities; prepare correspondence to notify patients of normal lab results; manage a system for follow-up care such as consults, tests, etc.). Other assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: processes incoming patient secure messaging through MyHealthyVet and coordinates with care team as appropriate; participates in team huddles and team meetings to manage, plan, problem solve, and follow-up with patient care by sharing information and collaborating with the interdisciplinary team; setting priorities and deadlines, adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs; identifies incomplete encounters and communicates findings to providers; as needed; assists the team to reinforce the plan of care and self-help solutions; [enters] appropriate information into the electronic record; monitors pre- appointment information and/or requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure; manages patient systems to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues; evaluates patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether the patient requires an immediate appointment; informs team members about shared patients (i.e., those who receive their care at multiple VA centers or those who receive care in the community). For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty), and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. 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 in writing, 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 due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians. 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-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-6. Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.
Duties include, but are not limited to: The AMSA independently performs a full range of duties to include answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside the unit, scheduling appointments, including interpreting, and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines and community care processes. S/he will complete clinic scheduling by assisting with tracking of Return to Clinic Orders (RTC) orders, opening clinic slots, canceling/opening clinics and canceling/rescheduling patient appointments as needed for all Telehealth appointments while maintaining flexibility in adapting to changes in the schedule and workload. S/he will monitor and report issues relating to the safety of staff and Veterans while following existing policies and procedures and acting in a professional manner with staff and Veterans. The incumbent has a key role in the training and maintenance of the Telehealth Management Platform (TMP). The AMSA assists in monitoring and ensuring the integrity of various databases, consult management, encounter action required, RTC management, the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) system, and other reports and data used in the management of administrative and customer service within Telehealth services. S/he is responsible for data collection, presentation, and reporting it, as directed. The AMSA is responsible for ensuring appropriate use of administrative support packages, preregistration, clinic appointment profiles, information security, insurance capture, verifying and updating demographics, the completion of text orders, and other critical administrative tools. The incumbent explains outpatient policies to patients, families, employees, and Veterans' organizations. The employee provides administrative assistance to clinical staff related to access for providing telehealth care; i.e., specialty clinics, prosthetic services, and imaging services. S/he retrieves medication profiles, test results, and patient information from systems including Veterans Integrated and Systems Technology Architecture (VISTA) or Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS), Consult Tracking Manager (CTM), Virtual Care Manager (VCM), and TMP, as requested. The incumbent explains available My HealtheVet and Telehealth Programs offered by the VAHCS. S/he anticipates and accomplishes administrative duties to support Secure Messaging and Telehealth staff. S/he will provide coverage for Telehealth absences to include the My HealtheVet Office to include the receipt, intake, and indexing of health and administrative information for Secure Messaging and My HealtheVet accounts. This incumbent must be proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, SharePoint, and PowerPoint as well as the scheduling packages in VISTA and CPRS. The employee performs administrative and clerical functions within Telehealth services. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 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