Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship
• Citizen of the United States
• Experience and Education
• (1) Experience
• No experience required
• OR, (2) Education
• High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board of Department of Education Grandfathering Provision
• All MSAs employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held, which are a part of the basic requirements of the occupation
• For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (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
• Foreign Education
• To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs
• GRADE REQUIREMENTS Creditable Experience (1) Knowledge of MSA Practices
• To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) 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 an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting
• (2) Quality of Experience
• Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting at the next lower grade level
• For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty), and a range of varieties as described in this standard, at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time
• Part-Time Experience
• Part-time experience as an MSA or equivalent administrative patient support in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek
• For example, an MSA employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service
• In addition to the basic requirements for employment listed in paragraph 3 above, the following education and experience criteria must be met: Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level
• OR, Education: Two years of education above high school
• 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 patient's eligibility status (i.e., TRICARE, sharing agreements, collaterals, research patient, VA employee, etc.)
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: i
• 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
• ii
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients
• iii
• Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting
• iv
• Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work
• v
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers
• vi
• Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-5. Physical Requirements: Work is mostly sedentary
• There will be some periods of walking, bending, lifting or carrying of work-related items
• Normal safety precautions and practices are required of working in a healthcare environment
• This position requires emotional ability to deal effectively with multi-tasking and high volume of patient flow and competing demands.