Medical Support Assistant - U.S. Department of State - Augusta, ME

Job Title: Medical Support Assistant

Department: Department Of Veterans Affairs

Agency: Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration

Job Announcement Number: VHA-402-15-SL-1481441-BU SALARY RANGE: $31,944.00

to

$41,530.00

/ Per Year OPEN PERIOD: Friday, August 14, 2015 to

Thursday, August 20, 2015 SERIES & GRADE: GS-0679-05 POSITION INFORMATION: Full Time –

Excepted Service Term NTE 2 YEARS PROMOTION POTENTIAL: 05 DUTY LOCATIONS: 1 vacancy in the following location:

Augusta, ME View Map

WHO MAY APPLY: United States Citizens SECURITY CLEARANCE: Other SUPERVISORY STATUS: No JOB SUMMARY:

Vacancy Identification Number (VIN): 1481441.

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise – “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” – by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s Veterans.

The VA Maine Healthcare System is seeking a Medical Support Assistant to perform administrative duties in support of the Primary Care Case Management and the High Risk Case Management pilot project in Augusta, Maine. This position is under the Primary Care Service Line. We are an employer of choice that is the center of excellence in patient care, education and research. We value Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect and Excellence. We value you.

As a VA professional, your opportunities are endless. With many openings in the multiple functions of VA, you will have a wide range of opportunities and leadership positions at your fingertips. Not only is it the largest, most technologically advanced integrated health care system in the Nation, but we also provide many other services to Veterans through the Benefits Administration and National Cemeteries. VA professionals feel good about their careers and their ability to balance work and home life. VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities. For more information on the Department of Veterans Affairs, go to http://www.vacareers.va.gov/ .

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.

Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses are not authorized for this position.

Current VA and/or Federal employees should apply under announcement number: VHA-402-15-SL-1481434-BU . TRAVEL REQUIRED

Not Required RELOCATION AUTHORIZED

No KEY REQUIREMENTS

U. S. Citizenship

Must pass pre-employment examination

Must be proficient in written and spoken English

Background and-or Security Investigation required

Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 DUTIES:

THIS POSITION IS A TERM APPOINTMENT NOT TO EXCEED 2 YEARS, BUT MAY BE EXTENDED UP TO 4 YEARS.

This position will support Primary Care Case Management and will be proficient in providing excellent customer service; serves as a receptionist for the Case Management High Risk Pilot Project, with the ability to determine the nature of calls and answering questions of veterans, families, and visitors with patience, compassion and emotional support; responds appropriately and assures that all messages are communicated in a timely manner; handles all information in accordance with provisions of the Privacy Act; knowledge and use of the electronic patient record system; veteran’s health information and technology architecture; scheduling, canceling appointments (clinic and patient cancellations), blocking time for administrative time, i.e. meetings, leave time, etc. for clinic utilization, re-schedules patients’ appointments within the specified time mandated, schedules consults; Recall system, inclusive of taking calls from patients after receiving their recall reminder, appropriately making appointments, removing from recall; enters no-show information; monitors the electronic wait list if applicable including new patient consults and specialty clinic consults; prepares for clinic visits daily; monitors both inpatient and outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility and avoidance of scheduling conflict; ensures text orders are completed daily; follows check in process using two forms of identification; utilizes pre-registration verifying and updating demographic information, next of kin, emergency contact information in accordance with established training; Release of Information processes in accordance with HIPPA requirements; obtains medical information from outside facilities, i.e. faxing; coordinating information and actions related to patient care and services. The MSA refers all questions requiring immediate medical attention to the appropriate health care team member. The incumbent in this assignment supports Health Administrative Service in providing MSA coverage for Primary Care Case Management and support for the High Risk Case Management pilot project in the Primary Care Service Line of the Medical Center

Work Schedule : Monday – Friday 8:00am-4:30pm

Functional Statement Title/# : Medical Support Assistant High Risk Case Management Pilot Project QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. Non-citizens maybe appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

Experience: Six months experience of clerical, office or other 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.

English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English.

Preferred Experience: Demonstrate the ability to work in a busy environment, multi-task, lead, and organize a large group of staff in various work areas to produce results, ensure compliance, as well as process and follow-up on a very high volume of phone calls or written requests from patients inquiring about appointments or their status on the waiting list.

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; religious; 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.

GRADE DETERMINATIONS:GS-5 MSA:
Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-4) which is a developmental level MSA position. It is expected that MSAs receive guidance from more experienced staff members for more difficult tasks and require frequent and direct contact from the assigned lead and/or supervisor. Assignments at this level include but are not limited to: interacting with both internal and external customers; establishing and maintaining medical outpatient and inpatient charts as well as administrative records; verifying third party insurance and updating information in the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) system; obtaining medical information from patients; coordinating information and actions related to patient care and services; and scheduling appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. The MSA refers all questions requiring immediate medical attention to appropriate health care team member.

OR

4 Years of education above High School

Assignment: This is the full performance level for MSAs. At this level, the MSA performs a full range of duties. The MSA is responsible for 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’s appointments and/or consults; entering no-show information; monitoring the electronic wait list; preparing for clinic visits; monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility; ensuring encounter forms are completed in order to obtain appropriate workload credit; verifying and updating demographics and insurance information; processing all emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals; performing basic eligibility, co-pays and preauthorization requirements for specific coverage (i.e., TRICARE, sharing agreements, etc.).

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Candidates must demonstrate the KSAs below:

1. Ability to operate computerized programs and databases in order to enter, modify and retrieve sensitive information/data into or from electronic medical records, scheduling systems and/or reports.

2. Knowledge of basic medical terminology.

3. Ability to make appointments in a clinical setting.

4. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties, including setting priorities and coordinating work.

5. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with employees at varying grade levels.

6. Ability to identify customer’s concerns, perform the tasks required to resolve the issue accurately and timely, and follow-up as necessary to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

References: Appendix G45. Medical Support Assistant Qualification Standard GS-0679. http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/Directives-Handbooks/Documents/5005.pdf This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.

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.

Physical Requirements: The majority of work is performed in an office setting, primarily while seated. The position requires some standing, ambulation, bending and carrying of items such as training manuals. In addition, there can be increased stress due to the intensity of a patient/customer complaint or concern. HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY

NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Your application,

résumé and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow

all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration

for employment.

NOTE: The Professional Standards Board (a

peer-review group) will review the selected candidate’s education and experience

and recommend the grade and salary at which the candidate will be placed. For internal selectees eligible for

promotion, the board will determine grade and HR will determine step in

accordance with policy. BENEFITS:
VA offers a

comprehensive benefits package. This

link provides is an overview of the benefits currently offered: http://www.vacareers.va.gov/why-choose-va/benefits/index.asp .

OTHER INFORMATION:
This job opportunity announcement may be used to

fill additional vacancies.

This

position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive

status.

HOW TO APPLY:
All applicants

are encouraged to apply online.

To apply for this position, you must complete the View Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents

section below.

The complete

application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on Thursday, August 20, 2015 to

receive consideration.

1. To

begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your

existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other

supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

2. Click

Submit My Answers to submit your application package.

NOTE : It is your responsibility to

ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the

closing date.

To verify your

application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login , select the Application Status link and then

select the more information link for this position. The Details page will

display the status of your application, the documentation received and

processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this

application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the

virus scan process.

To return to an

incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update

Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume

and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be

incomplete.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:
All applicants are required to submit the following supporting document type(s):

• OF-306


• Other (VA Form 10-2850c)


• Resume

Applicants may also submit the following supporting document type(s),which may not be required for all applicants:

• Cover Letter


• DD-214


• Other Veterans Document


• SF-15


• SF-50


• Transcript

VA Form 10-2850c – Application

for Associated Health Occupations (Available at http://www.va.gov/vaforms/medical/pdf/vha-10-2850c-fill.pdf ) (required) .

Please use this checklist to make sure you

have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of

your transcript (if using education to qualify), documentation

to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for

displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional

information.

Veterans’ Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible

Veterans should claim preference on the Occupational Questionnaire in the

section provided and provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) and/or

documentation related to your active duty service which shows dates of service,

character of service (honorable, general, etc.), or 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

Veterans Preference” with required proof as stated on the form. For

more information, please review the information for disabled Veterans in the

application checklist or visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx .

Faxing Applications or Supporting Documents: You are

encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and

track the status of your application. If you are unable to apply online or

unable to upload your supporting documents to your online application, follow

the directions located at the following site: Fax Options . The

Vacancy ID of the job opportunity announcement is 1481441.

NOTE : If you

applied online and your application is complete, do not fax the paper

application (1203-FX) as this will overwrite your prior online responses and

may result in you being found ineligible.

AGENCY CONTACT INFO: Stephanie Landry

Phone: (207)623-8411×4119

Email: STEPHANIE.LANDRY@VA.GOV

Agency Information:
VHA Togus VAMC

Department of Veterans Affairs

1 VA Center

Augusta,

ME

04330 WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:
After we receive application packages (including all required

documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to

ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. During our review, if your résumé and

application package do not support your questionnaire answers, we will adjust

your rating accordingly. After the

review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be

notified of their status by email (if provided); otherwise, applicants will

receive a notification letter via the U.S. Postal Service. Referred applicants will be notified as such

and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final

notification once a selection decision has been made.

You may check the status of your application at any time by logging

into your USAJOBS account and clicking on “Application Status.” For a more detailed update of your status,

click on “more information.” Information

regarding applicant

notification points can be found in the USAJobs Resource Center.