Lead Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • Reno, NV

13d • Onsite

About The Position

The Lead Medical Support Assistant (MSA) provides technical and administrative direction to MSA staff in Health Administration Service in Reno and technical direction to MSAs at community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs). The role coordinates staff assignments and workflow, evaluates work quality, establishes priorities, supports clinic operations, and helps ensure accurate, timely administrative services for outpatient care. The Lead MSA also provides guidance and training to staff, helps resolve workflow and communication issues, and keeps the supervisor informed about performance, training needs, and problems that may require escalation.

The position supports outpatient scheduling and clinical flow across clinics and specialties. It maintains clinic schedules and responds to cancellations and requested changes, reschedules appointments as needed, and helps ensure steady clinic activity. The incumbent uses established national and local business rules to schedule clinic visits and consultations and manage Electronic Wait List entries. The position requires knowledge of entitlement and care policies, Medical Care Cost Recovery requirements, medical terminology, physician orders, and available outpatient services to support appropriate follow-through on treatment plans.

The Lead MSA provides coverage for the Supervisory MSA during scheduled and unscheduled absences and assists with scheduling, timekeeping, competency certification, reports, audits, and committee actions. The work schedule is full-time, Monday through Friday, and requires swing/night, weekend, and holiday hours. Telework is not available; the position is not virtual.

Requirements

• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-6 grade level.
• Creditable experience must demonstrate knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient-support role in a non-VA inpatient or outpatient medical setting.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology and clinical flow processes related 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 and responsibilities to meet deadlines.
• Skill in communicating with individuals to obtain the desired effect 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 effects of incomplete work across multiple clinics.
• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• May be required to serve a probationary period and is subject to a background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants must complete an online onboarding process.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for VA health care personnel.
• VA health care personnel must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, subject to accommodations required by law; proof of vaccination is required before the start date if selected.

Responsibilities

• Ensure clinic administrative requirements are accurate, timely, and consistent with established standards.
• Check work in progress, spot-check work that does not require review, and review completed work to confirm that instructions, procedures, methods, and deadlines have been followed.
• Conduct audits when requested by a supervisor.
• Orient and train new employees, keep current employees informed about procedural requirements and changes, and report employee performance, progress, training needs, and problems to the supervisor.
• Develop and implement clinic controls and resolve problems when possible; inform the supervisor about issues that cannot be readily resolved or may affect areas beyond the immediate office.
• Provide suggestions concerning staff promotions, reassignments, and recognition of performance and contributions.
• Contact Veterans as appropriate to support scheduling and customer service needs.
• Maintain clinic schedules and make cancellations or changes requested by providers or supervisors; reschedule appointments as needed and keep the supervisor informed about scheduling problems.
• Evaluate and implement new policies and procedures relevant to staff duties.
• Set work priorities, coordinate and review MSA work, and ensure deadlines are met.
• Train staff in job duties, safety procedures, and medical center policies, and establish regular in-service training sessions.
• Coordinate with medical and clerical staff across units, wards, and ancillary services to resolve delays and communication difficulties related to outpatient care administration.
• Apply knowledge of laws, regulations, local care-entitlement policies, and Medical Care Cost Recovery requirements; ensure insurance and other demographic information is updated at each visit and explain MCCR activities to Veterans and staff.
• Use knowledge of outpatient services to support appropriate follow-through on treatment plans, including follow-up appointments and ancillary tests.
• Use medical terminology and knowledge of physicians' orders, including relevant compounds, symbols, and abbreviations, to understand and transcribe orders and complete forms accurately.
• Schedule outpatient appointments using VistA scheduling options and established national and local business rules, including clinic visits, consultations, and Electronic Wait List entries; complete required scheduling-process training.
• Provide coverage for the Supervisory MSA and assist with MSA scheduling, timekeeping, competency certification, reports, audits, and committee actions.
• Use Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, CPRS, and VistA to perform job duties.
• Perform other duties as assigned and required by the supervisor.

Benefits

• Federal employees earn annual leave at a rate of 4, 6, or 8 hours per pay period based on years of federal service; selected applicants may qualify for annual-leave accrual credit for prior work or military service, subject to prior request and approval.
• Federal employees and their families have access to a federal benefits package; specific benefit eligibility depends on position type.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed