Duties

Summary

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) for the Care in the Community (CITC) department of Health Care and Business operations is responsible for administrative and clerical support in the application of Non-VA related services provided by the Maryland VA Health Care System.
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Responsibilities

Duties of the AMSA for CITC include and are not limited to: Functions as an expert authority for all tasks associated with Community Care; provides technical support to professional staff and other medical center employees, advising staff on appropriate administrative procedures to follow. Works collaboratively with staff at the Medical Center, contract Vendors, Medical Center Affiliates and community health care providers to coordinate veteran Non VA care activities; assists with coordination of records between medical center and NVCC providers and return of outside records to the CPRS/VISTA imaging system to process results to VA Provider. Explains VA's mandate to collect insurance information to veterans, their families, and other eligible patients; collects, scans, and updates health insurance information serving major role in revenue process; contributes to the revenue collection process by identifying patients with third party insurance. Must be able to interpret and communicate requirements of VHA scheduling directives and complete accurate scheduling responsibilities and assist in training other MSA levels as follows:

• Schedule appointment with Non VA Care providers and monitor the Electronic Waiting List accurately in a timely manner as well as the Veterans Choice List. All appointments will be made with the patient's input, either in person or by phone. This may require a high level of coordination.
• Notifies his/her supervisor when clinic access is less than desirable or if an individual patient cannot be scheduled within mandated clinic timeframes.
• Daily review of active/pending consults, Electronic Wait List (EWL), Veteran Choice List (VCL), and previous appointments for disposition. The CITC team also manages the flow of information between VA, Contract Vendor, and Non VA providers under the Veteran Access Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 (VACAA) in addition to the following:

• Retrieves the Veteran Choice Program list and scrubs for eligibility requirements.
• Uploads identified clinical documentation to the Third Party Administrator (TPA) communication portal to initiate outside care.
• Mails out the Veterans Choice Program qualification letters and appointment reminder notifications to Veterans.
• Communicates daily with the Third Party Administrator in regards to the Veteran's scheduling, eligibility, and follow up.
• Retrieves clinical documentation in regards to the Veteran's episode of care form and scans it as part of the Veteran's permanent record in CPRS.
• Works in a collaborated effort with the RN's and administrators to facilitate seamless process.
• Must screen/receive phone calls in a courteous and timely manner, determining to the nature of requests and provide the information desired using privacy rules and established clinic processes.
• All other duties as assigned and outlined in functional statement.

Work Schedule: 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday - Friday. However, subject to change based on needs of the service.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Virtual Position: This is not a Virtual Position

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
None

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

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:

Citizenship. United States Citizenship Experience and Education. 1) Experience. 6 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; OR, 3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable. Grandfathering Provision. 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: 1) Such employees may be reassigned, promoted, or changed to a lower grade within the occupation. 2) 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. 3) If an employee who was converted to Title 38 hybrid status under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. Physical Requirements. Musthave the mental, emotional, and physical ability to satisfactorily perform the duties of the proposed assignment and pass the requisite laboratory and other screening as required by Federal regulatory agencies and meet the physical demands as described below. English Language Proficiency. Must be proficient in spoken and written English.

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: GS-6:

a) Experience. 1 year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level.

Examples of assignments and Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's) at the GS-05 grade level include but not limited to: Assignment: Duties related to the delivery of healthcare services in an inpatient or outpatient setting. Advises clinical staff on current administrative processes. 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 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 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.). KSA'S: Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying information (PII) into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers. Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

b) Assignment. The AMSA 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. 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.).

AND

c) Demonstrated KSA's. Candidates must demonstrate all of the following GS-06 KSA's: 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; Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations; 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; 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; 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; Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.

References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G45 dated 8/1/2019

This position is above the full performance level.

Physical Requirements: The work of this positions is primarily sedentary performed in an office setting.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html .

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, résumé, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

RESUME REMINDER: Your resume must include the following information for each job listed:

Job title Duties (be as detailed as possible)
Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)

Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail.

Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. In addition, please be sure to include your Education, Residency program to include Month and year start/end dates, and license, certification, or registration information to include the state, territory, or Commonwealth, license, certification, and/or registration number, and Month, Day, and Year of expiration if applicable. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• VA Form 10-2850c Application for Associated Health Occupations
• Most recent non-award SF 50, must show position and tenure
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

VA FORM 10-2850c- This form is REQUIRED with your application. Please note you will be disqualified if this form is not submitted with your application package.

VA Form 10-2850c Application for Associated Health Occupations can be found at: https://www.va.gov/vaforms/medical/pdf/vha-10-2850c-fill.pdf .

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this checklist to ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• VA Form 10-2850c Application for Associated Health Occupations
• Most recent non-award SF 50, must show position and tenure
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx .

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.