Supervisory Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration•Palo Alto, CA

6d•Onsite

About The Position

The Supervisory Medical Support Assistant (MSA) serves as the operational leader for outpatient scheduling programs in the Legacy VA Sierra Pacific Network (VISN 21) Specialty Care Clinical Resource Hub (Specialty CRH), located in the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. The position works within a group-practice model combining managed care and primary care approaches and provides technical and administrative direction to GS-7 Lead MSAs and GS-6 AMSAs. The Supervisory MSA oversees clinic administrative operations, including consults, clinic profiles, appointments, encounter forms, worksheets, clinic schedules, patient communications, follow-up tracking, data capture, and statistical reporting. The role coordinates with clinical teams, other care sites, and non-VA facilities; supports staff development and performance management; and ensures compliance with national and local scheduling directives. The position also contributes to process improvement and facility planning and may perform other related duties in support of clinic operations and organizational objectives. This is a full-time position scheduled Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with hours subject to change based on agency needs. Telework is not available, and the position is not virtual. The work is performed in an office/clinic setting and is generally sedentary, with some standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items. The environment may involve handling multiple tasks in stressful situations. The full-performance and advertised grade is GS-08.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA policy exception for non-citizens 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, GED, or state/territorial proficiency certificate; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Grandfathering provisions may apply to eligible current VHA employees.
One year of experience equivalent to the GS-7 level, including workload assessment and assignment, staffing coverage, training needs, complex clinic-flow procedures, accurate and timely appointment scheduling, staff guidance on policy and procedure changes, work schedules, and liaison work to resolve day-to-day conflicts.
Advanced knowledge of managing or leading patient support staff in a clinic, including independent use of reference sources, decision-making, and enabling collaboration and problem-solving in a complex systems environment.
Ability to perform the full range of administrative and supervisory duties for at least one subordinate MSA supervisor or team leader, including work assignment, performance evaluations, staff selection, and recommendations for awards or advancement.
Ability to collaborate and communicate effectively and demonstrate customer-service and interpersonal skills with internal and external customers to support 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.
Must meet applicable background and security investigation requirements and complete required onboarding and application documentation.
Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program as a Department of Veterans Affairs health care personnel requirement.
Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to written certification for continued employment upon completion.
Physical work requirements include the ability to stand, walk, bend, twist, and carry light items as needed.

Nice To Haves

Clinical Resource Hub experience.

Responsibilities

Direct outpatient medical administration programs and supervise staff assignments.
Extract and analyze data and prepare reports supporting performance measures for senior management.
Coordinate communications with other VISN 21 care sites and non-VA medical offices and facilities to support care coordination.
Participate in secure messaging with patients and care teams, notify patients of normal laboratory results, and develop and manage systems for tracking follow-up care.
Supervise staff in an interdisciplinary environment and guide, assist, and counsel staff in day-to-day duties.
Manage consults, clinic profiles, appointments, encounter forms, worksheets, and clinic schedules for patient encounters.
Ensure staff respond effectively to requests from patients, family members, clinical staff, and support staff.
Interpret and communicate administrative and clinical issues, regulations, policies, and procedures to the health care team.
Orient new team members to clinic administrative processes, workflow, and data-capture requirements.
Participate in interdisciplinary work groups, committees, and process-improvement activities guided by the Service Improvement Model.
Lead efforts to ensure accurate data capture and statistical reporting in VISTA, OBA, and VSSC systems; identify workload errors causing rejection in the Patient Care Encounter system.
Exercise administrative management and supervisory authority over GS-6 AMSAs and GS-7 Lead MSAs, including discipline and timekeeping for front-line staff.
Represent management at labor-management meetings, provide information, help resolve conflicts, and ensure management officials understand the negotiated agreement.
Prepare work schedules, ensure adequate staffing, adjust staffing to workload and priorities, and recommend organizational changes to improve staff utilization.
Develop subordinate staff through coaching, mentoring, feedback, and formal and informal learning opportunities.
Work with Human Resources on recruiting and hiring, including filling vacancies and selecting qualified employees.
Issue performance standards, rate staff, and communicate performance ratings in a timely manner.
Oversee clerical staff scheduling to ensure appointments follow National and Local Scheduling Directives.
Perform other related duties as assigned.