Advanced Medical Support Assistant Telephone Care Clerk

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Medical Support Assistant: incumbent serves as a Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) in the Daytime Clinical Call Center (DCCC). In this capacity the incumbent will provide telephone access to the Veteran population. This is a complex role requiring a global understanding of Lexington VAHCS policies and procedures. This program is a clinical and administrative network designed to provide fast responsive assistance for veterans seeking information and care at this medical center. The immediate goal is to provide the needed information to Veterans with a first call resolution. Calls of an administrative nature will be resolved with as few call hand-offs/transfers as necessary. Calls of a clinical nature will be categorized as per guidelines and routed to the Registered Nurse Staff. The overall goal is to provide timely and appropriate telephone referral and or problem resolution.

Major Duties include but are not limited to:

• Works collaboratively with an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model (i.e. PACT oncology HIV SCI Military Sexual Trauma)
• Develop/maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient interdisciplinary team VA medical centers and other agencies (e.g. communicate with non-VA medical facilities)
• Ensures timely administrative and clinical responses to patients with emergent or urgent care needs.
• Sets priorities and deadlines and adjusts workflow to meet team and patient needs
• Acts as primary liaison between the medical facility patients and their families for consulting advising and assistance with program access and questions.
• Handles timely and accurate receipt of patient telephone contacts regarding appointments healthcare issues and problem resolution
• Routes patient calls to appropriate staff determining urgency and appropriate response
• Gathers and processes background information including clinical and administrative data using Vista/CPRS software
• Monitors Telephone Care Program system activity and notifies supervisor of any issues with response times
• Interprets VAMC mission policies procedures and resources to patients and presents their problems opinions and needs to the appropriate staff.
• Other 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).

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.
• Education or Training: 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 One year above high school; OR Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.
• 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 3j.

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.

1. 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.
2. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines ensuring compliance with established processes policies and regulations.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.