Summary The incumbent serves as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant in the VA Care Community Section (VACC) at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain, Michigan, under Nursing and Patient Care Service. The incumbent's work impacts the administrative aspect of patient care, including: access, scheduling/ coordinating patient appointments using advanced clinic access principles, collecting and updating demographics and insurance information and customer service. Responsibilities Major Duties: The Advanced MSA works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model (i.e. PACT). The incumbent provides administrative support to clinicians and other administrative and professional staff throughout the medical staff office for purposes of coordinating VACC medical care for Veterans when the inpatient or outpatient provider has deemed such care necessary. The VACC program requires administrative scheduling and appointment coordination for diagnostic testing, and consultative appointments for many clinical services. Incumbent must receive phone calls in a courteous and timely manner, determine the nature of requests, provide the information desired using privacy rules and established processes. A caring, compassionate and sensitive manner is essential when explaining procedures to Veterans and their family both in person and on the phone. The MSA is able to independently manage position responsibilities with little supervision as well as set priorities and deadlines adjusting the flow and sequencing of work to meet team and patient needs. This position is responsible for generating authorizations for pre-authorized outpatient, unauthorized and emergency care claims, while making eligibility determinations for the various programs in VACC. Works closely with utilization review to insure proper authorizations are issued and appropriate correspondence is sent to vendors. He/She acts as a liaison between the veteran and the vendors with regard to the VACC section and VA clinical services and/or primary care services. Obtains requested reports, x-rays, labs and any pertinent information required to complete the VACC Coordination consult in CPRS. Ensures all necessary components and documentation is distributed to appropriate services at the private institution where service will be provided. Prioritizes requested procedure based on urgency, combat veteran status and compensation and pension exams. The incumbent is responsible for the coordination of all administrative information between the professional staff and the patient. This includes data entry, administratively managing consult requests, and making and notifying the patient of his/her scheduled appointment with the outside providers. Responsible for maintaining a current directory of contact information in Excel, to include name, address, phone, and fax numbers of institution, contact person and estimated cost of procedure. The incumbent is responsible for generating correspondence to the Veterans and various providers and managing all received correspondence related to their non-VA care. Provides advisory and technical assistance to Veterans and staff in answering questions. Determines the nature of Veterans' needs, questions or complaints. Provides necessary information to the staff and the patient, dealing with a wide range of problems including atypical and complex situations. Incumbent utilizes FBCS, HSRM and VISTA to manage and coordinate appointment management with the creation of authorizations as outlined by the VACC Coordination national Standard Operating Procedures. Works to resolve issues with Veterans, vendors and clinical staff to ensure appropriate care is scheduled and authorized at Non-VA facilities. Incumbent must be able to interpret and communicate requirements of the VHA Scheduling Directives and complete accurate scheduling responsibilities. All appointments will be made with the patient's input. This may require a high level of coordination. Employee works collaboratively with the Medical Center's managers, PACT Teams, VA providers, and discipline specific functional area professional and clinical leaders, as well as Social Workers, Managers and Non-VA healthcare professionals and community vendors. Employee must acquire knowledge of internal organizational procedures, knowledge of various facility services, knowledge of commonly used medical terminology and abbreviations, and VA acronyms and their meaning. Is actively involved in the continuous quality improvement of patient care services. Makes administrative recommendations that promote the efficient use of resources with the goal of improving timeliness and appropriateness of services provided. Develops and continuously monitors dealings with administrative quality assessment and improvement activities. Coordinates systematic reviews and gathers data for individual monitors. Reviews records for administrative criteria ensuring compliance with established standards. Advises clinical personnel and/or management of trends and recommends changes as appropriate. Other Duties Assigned Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Department: This vacancy is under Community Care Recruitment Incentive: Not authorized Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position Requirements 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 probationary 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's 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 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. Physical Requirements: Must pass a pre-employment physical per VA Directive and Handbook 5019. English Language Proficiency: MSA's must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j. 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 Requirements: In addition to the basic requirements, you must meet the following grade requirements. GS-06 Medical Support Assistant (Advanced). You must have one year of experience equivalent to the GS-05 level. Specialized experience includes, but is not limited to: Advising clinical staff on current administrative processes. Answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit, scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults in a computerized scheduling system; interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. Entering no-show information; monitoring appointment re
