Lead Medical Support Assistant

Lead Medical Support Assistant

The Lead MSA plays an integral role in identifying and developing ways to resolve problems with ECHCS administrative and clinical staff on access, customer service, patient flow, and data validation issues. Lead will:

• Consult & Authorization Management
  • Review active/pending/scheduled Community Care consults for accuracy and disposition using CPRS/VistA/VSE, OCC applications, and the Third-Party Administrator (TPA) portal.
  • Process authorizations promptly and document vendor demographics, authorization details, and billing remarks in applicable OCC systems.
  • Determine legal entitlement for authorized/unauthorized care, Mill Bill, and contract authorizations; compile supporting documentation for supervisory review
• Customer Support & Liaison Activities
  • Serve as the primary liaison for OCC customer support across ECHCS sites; provide face-to-face assistance and telephone guidance on CITC processes.
  • Utilize PATS-R to address PEL/PAT complaints, respond to Veterans/community providers, and draft written responses; support White House Hotline, Congressional, and other short-notice, high-priority suspenses.
  • Maintain effective communication with Veterans, families, interdisciplinary teams, and external providers; educate providers about shared patients receiving dual VA/community care.
• Scheduling, Access & Patient Flow
  • Interpret and apply VHA Scheduling Directives; schedule with patient input by phone or in person; manage Electronic Wait List accurately and timely.
  • Coordinate appointments to minimize multiple trips for Veterans; monitor patient workload/scheduling reports for consistency and accurate reporting. Participate in huddles/meetings with interdisciplinary teams to plan patient flow and resolve access issues.
• Documentation & Data Quality
  • Enter appropriate information into the patient record; conduct administrative follow-up and problem solving; document complaints and provide resolution updates to leadership.
  • Interpret and apply laws, regulations, directives, and policies related to VA Healthcare Benefits and community care.
• Team Leadership (Lead MSA Responsibilities)
  • Organize, set priorities, and guide MSAs to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes and policies; adjust workflow to meet team/patient needs and follow up on pending issues across multiple clinics.
  • Maintain proficiency in the varied and complex duties performed by OCC MSAs; provide training and feedback on clinic procedures as needed.
• Site Presence & Travel
  • Travel between OCC main office and ECHCS divisions/clinics within a single day, as needed, to support customer-facing liaison functions.

Work Schedule: Permanent; Monday - Friday

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized

Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.

Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66

Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA

Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 57446-A

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized