Medical Support Assistant (Inpatient Processing)

Functions or Scope of Assigned Duties:

The MSA works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model or other specialty care setting where the specialty care team model is used.

• Ancillary Services. Clinics that provide diagnostic studies and/or support services to assist in the provision of patient care. Areas of service include but are not limited to Blind and Vision Rehabilitation Diagnostic Laboratory Nutrition and Food Service Prosthetics Radiology (x-rays and imaging) Recreation and Creative Arts Therapists (music art dancing and drama) Social Work (housing discharge planning family support) and Speech/Language Pathology.
• Call Center. Centralized unit dedicated to multiple ancillary and interdisciplinary outpatient clinics that determine the need of the caller (i.e. scheduling processing refill requests reviewing CPRS and routing clinical questions to appropriate clinical staff).
• Care in the Community (CitC). The local VA Community Care department is the clinic that coordinates all patient services for Veterans outside the VA Healthcare System.
• Consult Management. Includes the basic review and scheduling of patient consult appointments and further review of a specific clinics consults (i.e. care in the Community consults primary care provider entered consults and specific clinic consult listings). This review includes identification of status issues (i.e. scheduled but not linked; scheduled to past appointment; significant findings etc.) and taking appropriate action to fix such issues or referring to lead/supervisor for further action.
• Direct Scheduling. Schedules routine appointments without a consult referral.
• Interdisciplinary Coordinated Care Delivery Models. Coordination of care across all elements of the broader health care system which may include primary care mental health specialty care Call Center and community care services and support.
• Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT). Team of health care professionals that provides comprehensive primary care in partnership with the patient and the patients personal support person(s) and manages and coordinates health care services consistent with agreed upon goals of care.
• Patient Systems. Various software hardware system products and data portals used to transfer and capture information electronically used in the support of the daily operation of the unit. These systems include but are not limited to: Veterans Integrated System Technology Architecture (VistA) Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) Vetlink VistA Scheduling Graphical User Interface (VS GUI) Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) VHA Support Service Center (VSSC) Fee Basis Claim System (FBCS) Bed Management Systems (BMS) Compensation and Pension Record Interchange (CAPRI) Veterans Benefit Management System (VBMS) Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning (SAIL) Patient Centered Management Model (PCMM) Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) Telecare Record Manager (TRM) Automated Call Delivery (ACD) Audio Care (AC) Business Intelligence Service Line (BISL) Scheduling Audit Tool (SAT) and Veterans Affairs Portal to view external medical records. Patient systems names may vary from institutions and change over time.
• Specialty Clinics. A variety of specialized medical surgical and mental health outpatient clinics. Services performed in the Specialty Care Clinics include but are not limited to: Arthritis Clinic Cardiology Clinic Cardio-Thoracic Clinic Chest/Pulmonary Clinic Colorectal Clinic Dermatology Clinic Diabetes Education Ears Nose and Throat Clinic Eye Clinic Gastroenterology Clinic General Surgery Clinic Hand and Plastics Reconstruction Clinic Liver Clinic Metabolic/Endocrine Clinic Neurology and Memory Disorder Clinic Neurosurgery Clinic Orthopedics Clinic Podiatry Clinic Proctology Clinic Renal Clinic Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic Urology Clinic and Vascular Clinic. Specialty clinic names may vary from institutions and change over time.
• Performs other directly related duties as assigned.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a trial period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• This position is a hybrid title 38 occupation reported among the occupations with the largest staffing shortages and therefore under 38 U.S.C. 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans preference to applicants for Fiscal Year 2026.
• Current Permanent Federal Employees are asked to upload a copy of the most recent SF-50 (that is not for an award) indicating current Federal employment.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:
Citizenship: Citizen of the United States.
English Language Proficiency: MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English
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.

Creditable experience must have demonstrated the knowledge skills and abilities associated with current MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid/non-paid employment as an MSA or equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting.

IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS LISTED ABOVE YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING GRADE REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION.

GS-5 Grade Requirements:
Experience: Must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-4 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. OR
Education. Four years of education above high school.

AND
Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
-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.

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 patients eligibility status (i.e. TRICARE sharing agreements collaterals research patient VA employee etc.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Physical demands do not exceed those of a typical office setting. There may be some walking standing twisting turning sitting pushing bending repetitive keyboarding or carrying of light items. Some positions may require sitting for long periods of time at a computer terminal typing data while talking on a telephone headset.