Summary This position serves as the Medical Support Assistant located in the Patient Admin Department (PAD), located at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) in North Chicago, Illinois. Responsibilities Incumbent performs as a Medical Support Assistant (MSA) within the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) in the Ward Administration division of the Patient Administration Department, with duties and responsibilities in the inpatient wards of the medical treatment facility. The incumbent admits and/or discharges VA and Department of Defense (DOD) patients into/out of the hospital wards and facilitates inpatient care during length of stay. The duties of this position are performed on a regular and recurring basis in Medical/Surgical and Intensive Care units.Duties for a Medical Support Assistant (MSA), at the full performance level, GS-679-5 include, but are not limited to: Scheduling, canceling, and re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults. Monitoring appointment requests form electronic sources. Verifying and updating demographics and insurance information. Coordinating administrative functions relating to emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals. Receiving and placing telephone calls, greeting patients, and relaying messages to staff. Resolving simple to moderate problems. Providing coverage for other units. Performing basic eligibility, co-payment and preauthorization requirements for specific coverage. Interfacing with personal computer applications as well as numerous VA specific applications such as VISTA. Arranges transportation for patient appointments; processes bed control functions; collaborates with social workers, nurses, physicians, dieticians, and other staff from varying backgrounds to facilitate health care and treatment of VA and DOD patients during their inpatient stay. Performing additional duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 4:00 pm Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Position Description Title/PD#: Medical Support Assistant/PD00198F Financial Disclosure Report: Not required PLEASE NOTE: This is an Open and Continuous Announcement, submission applications will be reviewed every two weeks and eligible, qualified applicants will be sent to the hiring officials every two weeks until all positions are filled. 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. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, VA applicants must meet all requirements within 15 days of the closing date of this announcement, 05/31/2024. Basic Requirements: US Citizenship is required. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.g.). ENGLISH: Must be proficient in basic written and spoken English. EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE: Must possess six (6) months experience of clerical, office, customer service or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skill necessary to perform the duties of the Medical Support Assistant. OR Must have successfully completed one (1) year above high school. This education must have been obtained in an accredited technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying for entry level. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS LISTED ABOVE, YOU MUST MEET THE GRADE REQUIREMENTS AT THE GS-5 LEVEL TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION. GS-5 (Full Performance Level) Experience One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level that equips you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. At this grade level, experience consists of: interacting with internal and external customers; establishing and maintaining medical outpatient and inpatient charts as well as administrative records; verifying third party insurance and updating insurance information in automated systems; obtaining medical information from patients; coordinating information and actions related to patient care and services; and scheduling appointments. OR Education: Successful completion of four years of education above high school level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED).This is the full performance level for MSAs. At this level, the MSA is expected to independently perform a full range of duties related to the delivery of healthcare services in an inpatient or outpatient setting. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying information into or from electron health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers.6. Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution. References: VA Handbook 5005/117, Part II, Appendix G45, Medical Support Assistant Qualification Standards, dated August 1, 2019. 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. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. Additional 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. 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. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.