Summary
The VA Hudson Valley Health Care System's Castle Point Campus is recruiting an Advanced Medical Support Assistant for an intermittent, above-full-performance-level position. The role involves delivering health care services in both inpatient and outpatient settings, advising clinical staff on administrative processes, and handling front-office duties. Because the position is intermittent, work is performed on an as-needed basis with no guaranteed or prescheduled hours.
Responsibilities
The Advanced Medical Support Assistant independently performs a full range of duties related to the delivery of health care services in an inpatient or outpatient setting at the Castle Point Campus of VA Hudson Valley Health Care System. The incumbent works collaboratively within an interdisciplinary care team, providing specialized and expert administrative support to ensure efficient clinic operations and continuity of patient care. This is an intermittent position, meaning the employee works on an as-needed basis with no guaranteed or prescheduled hours. Major Duties, include but are not limited to: Independently performs a full range of duties related to the delivery of health care services in an inpatient or outpatient setting. Advises clinical staff on current administrative processes. Answers phones, greets patients, and relays messages to appropriate staff inside or outside the unit. Schedules, cancels, and reschedules patient appointments and/or consults, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. Enters no-show information and monitors appointment requests from multiple electronic sources. Participates in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinic. Monitors both inpatient and outpatient appointments in areas of responsibility. Verifies and updates 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 Determines appointment type based on the patient's eligibility status (e.g., TRICARE, sharing agreements, collaterals, research patients, VA employees). Assists with communications during inpatient-to-outpatient discharge. Communicates with non-VA medical facilities as needed. Facilitates/processes secure messaging with the patient and care team. Notifies patients of normal lab results. Develops and manages a tracking system for follow-up care, such as consults and tests. Monitors pre-appointment requirements to ensure readiness for patient visits (e.g., X-ray, labwork). Evaluates patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine vested status. Educates providers about shared patients (those receiving care at multiple VA facilities or in the community). Utilizes multiple computer applications to perform the above duties. Provides rotational coverage as assigned between the Montrose and Castle Point campuses. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Intermittent - Hours may vary, 8:00am - 4:30pm. Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 12447F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.
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. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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. Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. Licensure/Certification/Registration: None. Grandfathering Provision: Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held, including positive education and registration/certification where applicable. For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply 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). 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. Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation. NOTE: This provision is not intended to regularize appointments/ placements. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for placement at grade levels specified. Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-06: Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade, GS-05. Medical Support Assistant, GS-05, Creditable Experience: Examples of creditable experience include but are not limited to: answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit; scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults; entering no-show information; 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. Coordinating 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.). AND, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) 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. (b) 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. (c) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians. (d) 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. (e) Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations. (f) 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. Preferred Experience: Strong customer service skills and proficiency with computer systems and software applications. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. This position is above the full performance level. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.
Requirements
You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification 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). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: 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. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
Education
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. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.