Medical Support Assistant

VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Duties may include but are not limited to:

• The MSA receives patients and visitors in person or telephonically. Records and relays messages and/or redirect calls as necessary. Refers urgent messages and patient results for immediate action. Obtains identifying information and determines the nature of the visit/call. Insures eligibility for care and contacts appropriate staff member for verification when necessary.
• Maintains and monitors patient appointment schedules for the unit/clinic and communicates delays in scheduled appointments to the appropriate staff and patients. Attempts to resolve complaints of a local administrative nature and refers other complaints to appropriate authorities.
• Incumbent will be the first line of contact with the Veteran and must be knowledgeable on a wide variety of subjects regarding the medical center. Incumbent must always remain friendly and courteous regardless of the patients or visitors attitude or behavior.
• The MSA is responsible for receiving and routing all Veterans who report to the facilities for scheduled and unscheduled examinations and appointments. Assures that the patients are electronically checked in for their appointments via (Vista/VSE). Responsible for confirming with the patient that pre-registration is completed including demographic information.
• Schedules and provides appointment dates with patient input when possible to reduce no shows. This is a critical step to meet Missed Opportunities and other medical center performance measures such as access to care.
• Captures insurance and demographic information on all Veterans who hold third-party health plans explains VAs role in insurance reimbursement. Accurately enters insurance information into the buffer as well as copies both sides of the insurance card.
• Incumbent receives telephone calls regarding such things as the availability of and procedures for obtaining medical assistance directions and information for contacting various departments services and requests for changes in scheduled appointments. Questions callers/visitors to obtain sufficient information necessary to determine primary need or areas of interest and aids or makes referrals to other responsible staff when matter is outside employees scope of assignment.
• Incumbent receives all consults and acts accordingly either scheduling the appointment or referring consult to provider for scheduling instructions. Using consult package to include consult toolbox changes status of consults to reflect current stage of consult such as received scheduled etc. Incumbent must schedule consults in accordance with local policy.
• Incumbent receives all consults and acts accordingly either scheduling the appointment or referring consult to provider for scheduling instructions. Incumbent schedules outpatient clinic appointments in accordance with VHA Directive 1230 Outpatient Scheduling Processes and Procedures VHA Directive 1232 Consult Process and Procedures using Vista/VSE scheduling options.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation/examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the Required Documents section of this announcement.

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

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.j.
• Experience. None.
• Education. High school diploma General Education Development equivalency certificate or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• Certification: None required.

• Such employees may be reassigned promoted or changed to a lower grade within the occupation.
• 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.
• 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.

• Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients.
• Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics.
• Ability to meet communicate and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and other health care team members in a courteous and helpful manner in order to facilitate medical care for patients.
• Ability to use and navigate between various types of office automation equipment and software (i.e. computer systems web-based scheduling programs; insurance collection system; scanning software multiple line phone systems; electronic faxing programs) to support patient care.

• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.
• Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns and refer to the appropriate staff as necessary to ensure a satisfactory resolution.
• 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.
• 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.

• Extensive experience working within HSRM CTM EPS Ref Doc CPRS Vista Capture Vista Imaging Microsoft Teams Channels PPMS.
• Call center experience with the adaptability to multi-task within high call volumes.
• Experience in Receiving Scheduling and Completing Consults.