Lead Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration•Minneapolis, MN

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Lead Medical Support Assistant works in the Specialty Care service line at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, supporting administrative aspects of patient care, access, scheduling, patient processing, and customer service. The role coordinates workflow and staff coverage, supports compliance, training, reporting, quality assurance, and budgetary initiatives, and helps resolve access, patient flow, revenue, and data validation issues. The position works collaboratively with interdisciplinary care teams and outpatient clinics. It includes receptionist duties, appointment scheduling and coordination, managing consults and recall lists, handling patient and staff inquiries, maintaining patient records, and supporting continuity of care. The Lead MSA may independently organize priorities and deadlines, direct employees’ daily work when the supervisor is absent, distribute and balance workloads, and provide guidance and training to staff. At least 25% of the role must be spent performing lead duties. The work is mostly sedentary and takes place in outpatient clinics or office settings. Daily rounds in assigned clinic areas are required and may include frequent visits to off-site clinics. The stated schedule is full-time, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; staggered shifts and/or weekend clinics may be required. Telework is unavailable, and the position is not virtual.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited under applicable law.
High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or qualifying proficiency certificate; education documentation may be required.
Proficiency in written and spoken English.
One year of creditable experience equivalent to GS-6, including communicating to obtain desired outcomes while ensuring compliance with policies and regulations; organizing work, setting priorities, and delegating; providing staff development and training; managing staffing and priorities; coordinating unit work; following up on pending issues; and reviewing data for complete and accurate reports.
Advanced knowledge of medical terminology and clinical flow processes related to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or community settings.
Skill in communicating effectively and coordinating with interdisciplinary care team staff.
Ability to use numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics in an interdisciplinary setting.
Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks and responsibilities, and meet deadlines.
Ability to provide staff development and training.
Ability to manage staffing requirements, workflow priorities, and work sequencing to meet team and patient needs, follow up on pending issues, and understand the impact of incomplete work across multiple clinics.
Demonstrated knowledge of MSA responsibilities or equivalent administrative patient support experience in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting.
At least 25% of working time must be spent performing lead duties.
Subject to background/security investigation and required onboarding procedures; selected applicants must complete the required online assessment and application steps.
Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for VA Health Care Personnel.
Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, as applicable.
A pre-employment examination or evaluation is part of the pre-employment process.

Responsibilities

Perform receptionist and customer-service duties in person and by telephone, responding to patient and employee concerns and requests.
Maintain appointment schedules for one or more outpatient clinics and schedule appointments accurately and promptly using advanced clinic access principles.
Support clinical access contingency plans by adjusting appointment times, locations, or dates and shifting patients to other providers when staffing or coverage conflicts arise.
Review active and pending consults, recall lists, and Audio care communications daily for accuracy and appropriate disposition.
Coordinate administrative services for veterans, family members, caregivers, the public, and administrative and clinical staff to support continuity of inpatient and outpatient care.
Ensure received health and administrative records are integrated into CPRS by scanning them into the patient chart or forwarding them to the Scanning Department.
Develop and maintain effective working relationships with clinical and administrative staff to determine priorities in support of direct patient care.
Notify the supervisor when clinic access is inadequate or an individual patient cannot be scheduled within mandated timeframes.
Participate in daily team huddles and weekly team meetings concerning patient care planning and management, except when staff shortages require coverage.
Coordinate advanced MSA assignments and interdisciplinary-unit workflow; assess daily workloads, assign work, and ensure appropriate staffing coverage.
Distribute and balance work among employees, adjust workflow and priorities to meet team and patient needs, and ensure timely and accurate completion of assignments.
Direct the daily work of Clinical Support Section employees when the supervisor is absent.
Evaluate staff training records, identify training needs, and provide staff development, training, and guidance on policy and procedure changes.
Create and maintain employee work schedules and act as a liaison among MSA staff, patients, and interdisciplinary staff to resolve day-to-day conflicts.
Assist with complex and non-standard procedures, including clinical flow processes related to access across clinics, specialties, and community resources.
Interpret and apply laws, regulations, directives, and policies concerning administration of VA healthcare benefits.
Support staffing, compliance, reporting, quality assurance, and budgetary initiatives, as well as monitoring and action planning.