Supervisory Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration•Portland, OR

10h•Onsite

About The Position

The incumbent serves as a Supervisory Medical Support Assistant (MSA) in the Primary Care Division at the VA Portland Health Care System. The position plans and directs programs at medical centers and/or satellite outpatient clinics and has full supervisory responsibility for duties related to the receipt, intake, and indexing of health and administrative information. The incumbent uses personal computer applications and numerous Vista applications. The role combines medical support, advanced MSA duties, and supervision. Medical support work includes scheduling and managing appointments, monitoring the electronic wait list, verifying patient information and insurance, and discussing basic eligibility and co-pays. Advanced duties involve working with the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) to review clinic utilization, monitor clinic setup, coordinate provider-matrix adjustments, communicate with patients and partner organizations, and ensure timely handling of calls and secure messages. The supervisor plans and directs MSA activities, assigns and evaluates staff work, resolves complex service problems, evaluates products and systems, identifies training needs, makes selection decisions, evaluates performance, takes disciplinary action when necessary, and makes PACT staffing determinations. The position also analyzes data and prepares reports supporting performance measures for senior management. Work is performed independently under broad objectives, with general assistance from the supervisor; the employee reports directly to the Administrative Director of the Primary Care Division. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, either 0700–1530 or 0730–1600. The position is not telework-eligible or virtual. Compressed or flexible scheduling is not available.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited in accordance with VA policy.
High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or state/territorial proficiency certificate.
Proficiency in spoken and written English.
One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade for the GS-08 grade determination.
Advanced knowledge of managing or leading patient support staff in a clinic, including independent use of references, decision-making, and empowering collaboration to solve problems in a complex systems environment.
Ability to provide administrative and supervisory duties for at least one subordinate MSA supervisor or team leader, including work assignment, performance evaluation, staff selection, and award or advancement recommendations.
Ability to collaborate, communicate, and demonstrate customer-service and interpersonal skills with internal and external customers to support quality and continuity of care and comply 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 background/security investigation requirements and complete the online onboarding process and application requirements.
Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to written certification for continued employment.
Foreign education used to qualify must be evaluated as equivalent to U.S. education by a qualified credential-interpretation organization; foreign education documentation requirements apply.
Physical requirements are governed by VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Responsibilities

Schedule, cancel, and reschedule patient appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines.
Monitor the electronic wait list and assist PACT members in ensuring appointments are verified as checked out or no-showed.
Verify and update patient demographics, discuss basic eligibility and co-pays, and ensure insurance information is accurate and current.
Complete mandatory training requirements for outpatient scheduling.
Coordinate with PACT to review clinic utilization reports, monitor clinic setup, and coordinate necessary provider-matrix adjustments with supervisors.
Maintain effective communication with patients, interdisciplinary team members, VA medical centers, and other agencies, including facilitating secure messages.
Document telephonic requests from community care providers and internal staff in CPRS and alert the appropriate medical team members.
Process calls promptly with minimal wait times and provide warm hand-offs.
Plan and direct MSA activities and assign and evaluate the work of direct-report staff, including the Lead MSA.
Resolve complex problems to ensure patient services are met.
Evaluate products, equipment, and systems and recommend operational improvements.
Identify staff education and training needs; make final selection decisions; evaluate performance; and take disciplinary action when necessary.
Make PACT staffing determinations and manage MSA program operations.
Extract and analyze data and prepare reports supporting performance measures for senior management.
Report backlogs, deadline difficulties, uncooperative physicians, and challenges securing information from clinicians or records.
Maintain confidentiality and communicate appropriately with physicians, case managers, and other allied health professionals.