LEAD MEDICAL SUPPORT ASSISTANT

Summary

The incumbent serves as the Lead Medical Support Assistant for Outpatient Services. He/She uses initiative in completing recurring assignments independently and without specific instructions, but refers deviations, problems, and unfamiliar situations to the supervisor for assistance.

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Duties

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The Lead MSA performs a variety of administrative functions associated with the scheduling of patient care for the clinical programs at VA Medical Center.

The incumbent:

a. Provides educational sessions to train new employees in clerical process in an efficient and effective manner to ensure that clerical processes, functions and goals are understood and met.

b. Must have knowledge of VA policies, regulations, guidelines and process as they relate to the scheduling of patient appointments, consults, NEAR, and pre-appointment clinical requirements (i.e. labs, EKGs, XRay, etc.) to ensure readiness for the patient visit.

c. Monitors clinic's access to care.

d. Monitors ICB usage ensuring insurance is collected at time of appointments and captured approximately by the incumbent and other scheduling staff. e. Must keep abreast of rapidly changing regulations, directives, software patches, programs and processes involved in the delivery of the healthcare benefits package.

f. Assist with the clean up of the EARR (Encounter Action Required Report) and supports clinics regarding utilization and clinic profile management, i.e. set up of clinic grids, cancel and restore clinics.

g. Screens/receive phone calls in a courteous and timely manner, determined the nature of request and provide the information desired using privacy rules and established clinic processes

h. Prepares correspondence and memos as needed

i. Stocks basic office supplies for the clinical/administrative areas.

j. Enters Veterans seeking emergent/urgent care, scheduling appointments accurately.

k. Utilizes call list and telephones Veterans to pre-register them prior to their scheduled appointments. Incumbent updates all patient demographics.

I. Communicates and interacts with patients in a manner which is appropriate to cognitive, emotional, and chronological maturation needs of the adult and/or geriatric patient.

m. Assures that all appropriate VA forms are used correctly, and regulations followed.

n. Additional duties or tasks may be assigned by the supervisor to ensure efficient daily operations.

The incumbents oversees the status of work for all lower grade MSA positions working in various clinics, makes day-to-day adjustments in accordance with established priorities, obtaining assistance from the supervisor on problems that may arise, such a backlogs which cannot de disposed of promptly. Able to resolve workplace issues, simple informational complaints of employees, referring others to supervisor for resolution. Incumbent will conduct ongoing audits to ensure quality of work for accurate and timely scheduling of appointments. Recognizes and refers sub-standard performance or sub-standard behavior to supervisor on MSA performance and behaviors. Identifies education and training needs of staff and evaluating scheduling practices. Makes recommendation for reassignments, recognition for outstanding performance and other personnel needs. Orienting and providing on the job training for new and current employees.

As a front-line contact with patients and staff, in the scheduling role, incumbent sets the tone for perception concerning quality of healthcare services at the VA and will show a high degree of tact and diplomacy when dealing with Veterans who have multiple health problems and who may be frustrated with the administrative process associate with diagnosis and treatment. The incumbent supports patient safety standards using appropriate standards of identification validation. The incumbent must ensure preregistration is completed and collects, scans and updates health insurance information serving a major role in the revenue process and possess superb telephone etiquette utilizing the standardized telephone greeting while ensuring other frontline staff is as well.

The incumbent must have the ability to learn the technical competency in the use of BMS, VISTA, VSE, CPRS, ICB Scanners, Vetlink, Kiosk, HealtheConnections, ISS, VAR, MHV, VSSC and all scheduling software. Must provide excellent customer service and have an advanced understanding of medical terminology, medical administrative practices, patient consult processes, patient scheduling procedures, medical record system, Privacy Act, HIPPA rules and the Freedom Act as they relate to the handling of confidential and sensitive patient information.

Incumbent must possess knowledge of clinic processes and service to interact with various clinic staff members. This employee must have working understanding of National performance measures and monitors, particularly in relation to no shows, appointment cancellations, new patient scheduling, consult management and management of returning patients. Maintains current knowledge of procedures, policies, guidelines, etc. to be able to answer questions or obtain needed information to make an informed decision.

Work Schedule : Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 12560F

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• 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 ( 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.
• 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).
• 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.

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

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.

Licensure/Certification/Registration . None.

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).

Grade Determinations : Lead Medical Support Assistant, GS-07

Experience . One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) . In addition to meeting the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

(a) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology and a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or community.

(b) Skill in communicating with individuals to obtain the desired effect and coordinating with a variety of interdisciplinary care team staff.

(c) Ability to utilize numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics in an interdisciplinary setting.

(d) Ability to organize work, set priorities, and delegate tasks/responsibilities in order to meet deadlines.

(e) Ability to provide staff development and training.

(f) Ability to manage staffing requirements, manage workflow priorities, and adjust the flow of work to meet team and patient needs. This includes the ability to follow-up on pending issues and demonstrate an understanding of the impact of incomplete work across multiple clinics.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-05. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-07

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements

English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

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: 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:

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

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.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.