Lead Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration•Hines, IL

1d•Onsite

About The Position

This is a Lead Medical Support Assistant position supporting Inpatient Wards. The incumbent may also serve as a float supporting multiple clinical areas or directly support the office of the Patient Administrative Services Chief. Additional vacancies may be filled from this announcement. The incumbent provides lead administrative and patient support, including training and orienting staff, monitoring workflow and work quality, and helping ensure accurate and timely scheduling. The role requires knowledge of VA policies and procedures related to appointments, consults, wait lists, pre-appointment requirements, access to care, insurance collection, and patient registration. The incumbent communicates with Veterans and staff, handles sensitive patient information in accordance with applicable privacy rules, and uses multiple VA patient and scheduling systems. The position is primarily sedentary in a typical office setting. The schedule is Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; the tour may vary based on service needs. Telework is not suitable, and this is not a virtual position.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship.
Proficiency in spoken and written English.
High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or a proficiency certificate from a state or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
One year of creditable healthcare experience directly related to Medical Support Assistant duties, equivalent to the GS-6 level.
Knowledge of clinic processes and services sufficient to interact with clinic staff.
Working understanding of national performance measures and monitors, particularly no-shows, appointment cancellations, new-patient scheduling, consult management, and returning-patient management.
Current knowledge of procedures, policies, and guidelines relevant to scheduling and access to care.
Advanced knowledge of medical terminology and clinical-flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or community resources.
Ability to use numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics in an interdisciplinary setting.
Ability to organize work, set priorities, and delegate tasks or responsibilities to meet deadlines.
Skill in communicating with individuals to obtain desired outcomes and coordinating with interdisciplinary care-team staff.
Ability to provide staff development and training.
Ability to manage staffing requirements and workflow priorities, adjust work to meet team and patient needs, follow up on pending issues, and understand the impact of incomplete work across multiple clinics.
Ability to use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Ability to learn and use BMS, Vista, VSE, CPRS, ICB scanners, Vet-link, kiosks, HIN, VAR, and My HealtheVet.
Must meet pre-employment evaluation and background/security investigation requirements, complete onboarding, and participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
May be required to serve a probationary period.

Responsibilities

Provide educational sessions, orientation, and on-the-job training for new and current employees on clerical processes and scheduling practices.
Monitor the status and quality of work performed by lower-grade Medical Support Assistants, adjust daily assignments to established priorities, and seek supervisory assistance with issues such as unresolved backlogs.
Conduct ongoing audits to ensure accurate and timely appointment scheduling; identify substandard performance or behavior and refer it to the supervisor as appropriate.
Provide the supervisor with information and recommendations concerning employee performance, behavior, training needs, reassignments, recognition, and other personnel needs.
Monitor access to care and insurance collection and capture through ICB processes.
Maintain current knowledge of VA policies, regulations, directives, software patches, programs, and processes related to delivery of healthcare benefits and scheduling.
Assist with the EARR and delinquent recall report, and support clinic utilization and profile management, including setting up clinic grids and canceling or restoring clinics.
Screen and receive telephone calls courteously and promptly, determine the nature of requests, and provide information in accordance with privacy rules and clinic processes.
Prepare correspondence and memoranda as needed.
Promote Veteran registration for and use of My HealtheVet.
Stock basic office supplies for the executive suite.
Enter Veterans seeking emergent or urgent care and schedule appointments accurately.
Use call lists to telephone Veterans for preregistration before scheduled visits and update patient demographic information.
Collect, scan, and update health insurance information and ensure preregistration is completed.
Use appropriate patient identification and validation standards, including two forms of identification.
Communicate with adult and geriatric patients in a manner appropriate to their cognitive, emotional, and developmental needs, using tact and diplomacy.
Ensure VA forms are used correctly and applicable regulations are followed.
Use standardized telephone etiquette and promote consistent telephone practices among frontline staff.
Use and learn VA patient, scheduling, and administrative systems and monitor department-specific software.
Gather, analyze, and report data related to inpatient units and outpatient clinic operations.
Manage and monitor clinic appointment availability, scheduling requirements, consults, wait lists, pre-appointment requirements, and follow-up processes.
Identify incomplete encounters and communicate findings to providers; participate in team coordination and follow-up as needed.