Lead Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration•Montrose, NY

12d•Onsite

About The Position

The Lead Medical Support Assistant (MSA) supports Outpatient Services at a VA Medical Center by performing administrative functions related to scheduling patient care. The incumbent works independently on recurring assignments and refers deviations, problems, and unfamiliar situations to a supervisor. The role oversees the work status of lower-grade MSAs across clinics, adjusts daily assignments according to priorities, addresses straightforward workplace issues, and escalates matters such as unmanageable backlogs or significant employee concerns to a supervisor. The position requires advanced knowledge of medical terminology, clinic workflows, appointment and consult processes, medical administrative practices, patient-record systems, confidentiality rules, and applicable VA policies and procedures. The incumbent serves as a frontline point of contact for Veterans and staff, providing courteous and tactful service, supporting patient safety through appropriate identity validation, and maintaining accurate patient registration and insurance information. The role also provides staff training, audits scheduling quality, identifies training needs, evaluates scheduling practices, and recommends personnel actions or recognition as appropriate. The incumbent must learn and use a range of VA and related patient-care and scheduling systems, including BMS, VISTA, VSE, CPRS, ICB scanners, Vetlink, Kiosk, HealtheConnections, ISS, VAR, MHV, VSSC, and scheduling software. The position is not virtual. The stated work schedule is Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Requirements

High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or state or territorial proficiency certificate.
One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade for the GS-07 Lead Medical Support Assistant grade determination.
Advanced knowledge of medical terminology and clinical flow processes related to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or community settings.
Skill communicating to achieve desired outcomes 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, and delegate tasks and responsibilities to meet deadlines.
Ability to provide staff development and training.
Ability to manage staffing requirements and workflow priorities, adjust work to team and patient needs, follow up on pending issues, and understand the impact of incomplete work across multiple clinics.
U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
Proficiency in spoken and written English.
Ability to meet pre-employment requirements, including a physical examination, background/security investigation, onboarding requirements, and seasonal influenza vaccination.
Ability to complete application requirements and provide acceptable identification for employment verification.
Willingness to serve a one- or two-year trial period.
Knowledge and ability to follow privacy and confidentiality requirements, including the Privacy Act, HIPAA rules, and the Freedom of Information Act, as related to sensitive patient information.
Ability to learn and use BMS, VISTA, VSE, CPRS, ICB scanners, Vetlink, Kiosk, HealtheConnections, ISS, VAR, MHV, VSSC, and scheduling software.

Responsibilities

Perform administrative functions associated with scheduling patient care for clinical programs at the VA Medical Center.
Train new employees in clerical processes and provide orientation and on-the-job training to new and current employees.
Apply VA policies, regulations, guidelines, and procedures concerning appointment and consult scheduling, NEAR, and pre-appointment clinical requirements.
Monitor clinic access to care and Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) usage, including collection and accurate capture of insurance information.
Keep current with changing regulations, directives, software patches, programs, and processes involved in delivering healthcare benefits.
Assist with EARR cleanup and support clinics with utilization and clinic profile management, including setting up clinic grids and canceling or restoring clinics.
Answer and screen calls courteously and promptly, identify callers’ needs, and provide information according to privacy rules and clinic processes.
Prepare correspondence and memos as needed and stock basic office supplies for clinical and administrative areas.
Schedule Veterans seeking emergent or urgent care and use call lists to contact Veterans for preregistration before appointments.
Update patient demographics and ensure preregistration is complete; collect, scan, and update health insurance information.
Communicate appropriately with adult and geriatric patients, including those with varied cognitive, emotional, and developmental needs, and handle frustrated patients with tact and diplomacy.
Ensure VA forms are used correctly and applicable regulations are followed.
Oversee the work status of lower-grade MSAs across clinics, adjust daily work according to priorities, and seek supervisory assistance for problems such as backlogs that cannot be promptly resolved.
Resolve simple workplace issues and informational employee complaints, referring other matters to a supervisor.
Conduct ongoing audits to ensure scheduling work is accurate and timely; identify substandard performance or behavior and refer it to a supervisor.
Identify staff education and training needs, evaluate scheduling practices, and make recommendations regarding reassignments, recognition, and other personnel needs.
Support patient-safety standards through appropriate identity validation and promote standardized telephone etiquette among frontline staff.
Maintain knowledge of clinic processes, national performance measures, and procedures for no-shows, cancellations, new-patient scheduling, consult management, and returning-patient management.
Perform additional duties assigned by the supervisor to support efficient daily operations.