Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Iron Mountain, Michigan

Salary Range: $49353 - $64156 Per Year

Job Summary: 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.

Major Duties:

• The primary purpose of this position is as a VACC Coordinator. It is a foundational role within the continuum of patient care, working collaboratively with the patient care teams as well as a variety of specialty health care providers. This includes registered nurse care managers, primary care and/or specialty care providers, pharmacists, social workers, dieticians, behavioral health staff, etc. to provide a robust interdisciplinary approach to care. Important interfaces and collaborations also occur with larger health care system providers including VA and non-VA specialists, hospitals, diagnostic and treating facilities, and community-based programs. Major Duties of VA Community Care (VACC) Advanced Medical Support Assistant: Provides administrative support to clinicians and other administrative and professional staff throughout the medical staff office for purposes of coordinating VA Community Care (VACC) for Veterans when the inpatient or outpatient provider has deemed such care necessary. Administrative scheduling and appointment coordination for diagnostic testing, and consultative appointments for many clinical services. Receive phone calls in a courteous and timely manner, determine the nature of requests, provide the information desired using privacy rules and established processes. 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. Responsible for generating authorizations for pre-authorized outpatient, unauthorized and emergency care claims, while making eligibility determinations for the various programs in VA Community Care (VACC). Develops continuous monitors dealing with both clinical and administrative quality assessment and improvement activities. Reviews and determines veteran's eligibility for specialty programs in the VA Community Care (VACC) program and appropriately processes their authorizations. 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 VA Community Care (VACC) healthcare professionals and community vendors. Work Schedule: Full Time Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Not Suitable Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

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. IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS LISTED ABOVE, YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING GRADE REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION. GS-6 Grade Requirements: You must have one year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 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 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.). AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate the KSAs below: 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. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations. 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. 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. 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. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Physical demands do not exceed those of a typical office setting. There may be some walking, standing twisting, turning, sitting, pushing, bending, repetitive keyboarding, or carrying of light items. Some positions may require sitting for long periods of time at a computer terminal typing data while talking on a telephone headset.

How to Apply: All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 01/07/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12858097. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. 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.

Application Deadline: 2026-01-07