Lead Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • Long Beach, CA

11d • Onsite

About The Position

The Long Beach VA Health Care System’s Health Administration Service is recruiting one Lead Medical Support Assistant. The role provides advanced, specialized administrative patient support in an interdisciplinary coordinated-care setting, supporting multiple clinics and specialties. The Lead Medical Support Assistant coordinates clinic access and appointment workflows, monitors schedules and consults, maintains records and patient information, and works with care teams to support patient care and clinic operations.

The position is scheduled to work 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Compressed or flexible scheduling, telework, and virtual work are not authorized. The full-performance level and the grade for this vacancy are GS-7. The position may require a one- or two-year trial period.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception under VA policy when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• At least six months of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative experience indicating ability to acquire the required knowledge and skills; or a high school diploma; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Grandfathering provisions may apply to eligible current VHA employees.
• For GS-7 qualification, one year of experience equivalent to GS-6 leading or supervising Medical Support Assistants or equivalent administrative patient-support staff in a non-VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology and clinical flow processes related to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or community resources.
• 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, delegate tasks and responsibilities, and meet deadlines.
• Ability to provide staff development and training.
• Ability to manage staffing requirements and workflow priorities, and adjust work to meet team and patient needs, including following up on pending issues and understanding the impact of incomplete work across clinics.
• Must complete the required application steps and online assessment.
• Subject to background and security investigation and required onboarding procedures.
• Must participate in the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must meet pre-employment identification and application-document requirements.

Responsibilities

• Schedule, cancel, and reschedule patient appointments and consults; enter no-show information and monitor electronic wait lists.
• Prepare for clinic visits and establish and maintain medical outpatient and inpatient charts and administrative records.
• Monitor inpatient and outpatient appointments for assigned areas.
• Obtain medical information from patients and coordinate information and actions related to patient care and services.
• Ensure encounter forms are completed to obtain appropriate workload credit.
• Verify and update patient demographic and insurance information.
• Monitor interdisciplinary team setup, including consult categories of care, and make adjustments needed to support VA clinics.
• Work with the team to reinforce plans of care and self-help solutions.
• Manage consult metrics to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues.
• Participate in team meetings and provide input on operational problems and procedures.
• Coordinate clinic appointment availability and schedules with patient care teams, adjusting schedules as needed to meet clinic needs.
• Communicate and collaborate with patients, interdisciplinary care teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies, including supporting inpatient-to-outpatient transitions and communications with non-VA facilities.
• Participate in team huddles and meetings to plan, problem-solve, share information, and follow up on patient care.
• Set priorities and deadlines, adjust work sequencing, and follow up on pending issues and incomplete work.
• Identify incomplete encounters and communicate findings to providers as needed.
• Enter appropriate information into electronic records and monitor pre-appointment information and requirements.
• Evaluate patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether patients need immediate appointments.
• Inform team members about patients receiving care at multiple VA centers or through community care.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package for employees and their families, with eligibility depending on position type.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to request and approval.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: High school or GED