Supervisory Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • Fort Wayne, IN

10d • Onsite

About The Position

The Supervisory Medical Support Assistant (SMSA) leads Medical Administration Service at VA Northern Indiana Health Care System, serving Marion, Fort Wayne, and five Community-Based Outpatient Clinics within VISN 10. The SMSA provides administrative and supervisory support to Primary Care, Specialty Care, Ward Administration, the Call Center, and specialized care teams. The position promotes team-based care through participation in daily huddles and weekly meetings, support for patient-care planning, and coordination of administrative information between Veterans and clinical staff.

With assistance from the Lead Medical Support Assistant, the SMSA assigns work, establishes priorities, defines objectives, and sets deadlines. The SMSA independently plans and carries out daily office operations, resolves scheduling problems and unusual situations, and coordinates work to ensure tasks are completed efficiently, accurately, and on time. The role includes day-to-day management of MSAs, review of scheduling reports, insurance data capture and performance standards, and use of clinic-team feedback to support mission accomplishment. The SMSA may serve as Acting Chief or supervisor for Medical Administration Service programs. In an acting capacity, the position reports to the Chief of the Ambulatory Care and Ward Administration Section.

The SMSA performs appointment scheduling and coordination, demographic and insurance verification, consultation and electronic waitlist management, data entry, Veteran notification and advocacy, diagnostic and specialty appointment coordination, and administrative support for clinical staff. The position requires completion of required training and competencies and demonstrated proficiency in at least two areas of Ambulatory Care and Medical Administration Service Administration. Responsibilities vary by assignment and may include supporting PACT and interdisciplinary care partners; coordinating Specialty Care appointments and consultations; supporting inpatient and residential units and monitoring patient movements and bed-management records; or managing Call Center scheduling, customer service, call activity, reports, and compliance with approved policies, procedures, and scripts.

Requirements

• Six months of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative experience indicating the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for the work.
• High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or state- or territorial-level proficiency certificate.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• One full year of experience equivalent to GS-7 supervising MSAs or equivalent administrative patient-support staff in a non-VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting.
• Advanced knowledge of managing or leading patient-support staff in a clinic, including independent use of reference sources, decision-making, and empowering teams to collaborate and resolve problems in a complex systems environment.
• Ability to provide administrative and supervisory duties to at least one subordinate MSA supervisor or team leader, including work assignment, performance evaluations, staff selection, and recommendations for awards or advancements.
• Ability to collaborate, communicate, and demonstrate customer service and interpersonal skills with internal and external customers to ensure quality and continuity of care and compliance with policies and regulations.
• Ability to provide briefings, orientations, staff development, and training in a patient-support setting.
• Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and identify budget needs.
• Knowledge of medical terminology, clinic procedures, and VA systems, including VistA, CPRS, the Bed Management System, and Microsoft applications.
• U.S. citizenship is required, subject to the stated VA policy exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Must pass the required pre-employment process, including background/security investigation and online assessment, and complete the online onboarding process.
• Must comply with the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period.
• Must provide documentation verifying high school completion or equivalent if not covered by the grandfathering provision.

Responsibilities

• Lead Medical Administration Service operations serving Marion, Fort Wayne, and five CBOCs.
• Supervise, manage, and train Medical Support Assistants; assign work, set priorities and deadlines, and evaluate completed assignments.
• Handle personnel actions, leave and timekeeping, employee issues, workload distribution, and process improvement.
• Plan and carry out daily office operations, resolve scheduling problems and unusual situations, and coordinate work to ensure timely and accurate completion.
• Review scheduling reports, insurance data capture, and performance standards; consider clinic-team feedback to support mission accomplishment.
• Serve, as needed, as Acting Chief or supervisor for Medical Administration Service programs, including Beneficiary Travel, Health Benefits, Primary Care, Specialty Care, Ward Administration, and the Call Center.
• Participate in team huddles and meetings, support patient-care planning, and coordinate administrative information between Veterans and clinical staff.
• Schedule and coordinate appointments; verify demographic and insurance information; manage consultations and electronic waitlists; enter data; and notify and advocate for Veterans.
• Coordinate diagnostic and specialty appointments and provide administrative support to physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, and other clinical staff.
• Complete required training and competencies and demonstrate proficiency in at least two areas of Ambulatory Care and Medical Administration Service Administration.
• In Primary Care, support the Patient Aligned Care Team and interdisciplinary care partners.
• In Specialty Care, coordinate appointments and consultations across clinical services.
• In Ward Administration, support inpatient and residential units; monitor admissions, discharges, transfers, and other patient movements; maintain bed-management records; and train staff on applicable systems.
• In the Call Center, schedule, cancel, and reschedule appointments; provide customer service; monitor call activity; review management reports; and ensure compliance with policies, procedures, and approved scripts.

Benefits

• Federal employees and their families have access to a comprehensive benefits package; specific eligibility depends on position type.
• Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to prior request and approval.

What This Job Offers

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