Medical Support Assistant (Mental Health Outpatient Clinic)

Quick Facts

• Role: Medical Support Assistant for a Mental Health Outpatient Clinic
• Schedule: Monday–Friday, 8:00am–4:30pm
• Telework: Not available

Description

The Medical Support Assistant (MSA) serves as the initial administrative point of contact for Veterans, their families, and visitors. You perform intermediate clerical and administrative duties tied to patient care, including scheduling appointments, interpreting and verifying provider orders, and managing patient records in compliance with HIPAA. The role also includes handling incoming/outgoing calls and secure inquiries, documenting and routing messages, and using office systems and electronic health records to support continuity of care.

Responsibilities

• Greet visitors and act as receptionist; answer phone calls, record messages, and direct inquiries
• Coordinate scheduled and unscheduled visits; manage appointment changes and avoid conflicts
• Interpret and verify provider orders using VHA scheduling guidelines and facility policies
• Support Behavioral Health and Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) and other specialty staff
• Multi-task in high-pressure situations and prioritize changing workflows
• Obtain supplies and perform office tasks (scanning, copying, faxing, and mail distribution)
• Enter and update patient information in the electronic medical record (demographics and preferred communication details)
• Respond to inquiries via Secure Messaging/Message Manager/VAR/VEText/letters/phone calls; enter CPRS notes and notify clinical staff
• Recognize urgent inquiries and refer them to clinical staff for immediate action
• Use systems including ISS, VISTA, CPRS, Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB), Consult Tracking Manager (CTM), and Outlook
• Make frequent outbound calls to coordinate patient care actions and relay requests/messages to the treatment team
• Assist with training new or less experienced employees

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship
• Complete required application steps and an online assessment
• Proficiency in written and spoken English
• Subject to background/security investigation; complete onboarding and I-9 with acceptable documents
• Selective Service registration required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Seasonal influenza vaccination is required
• Meet education requirements; submit transcripts if using education to qualify
• Meet grade-level qualification requirements (GS-3 to GS-5), including specified experience or additional education for higher grades

Benefits

• Competitive salary with regular salary increases
• Paid Time Off: 37–50 days of paid time off per year (annual leave, sick leave, and federal holidays)
• Parental leave: up to 12 weeks paid after 12 months of employment
• Child care subsidy eligibility after 60 days for qualifying full-time employees (income and cost limits apply)
• Retirement: federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% VA contributions
• Insurance: federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care benefits
• Comprehensive federal benefits; eligibility depends on position type