LEAD MEDICAL SUPPORT ASSISTANT

The position is in Health Administration Service and serves as the Lead Medical Support Assistant in PACT, Specialty Care, Mental Health, Radiology, and/or Community Care Sections. Incumbent performs administrative support functions including scheduling appointments, inbound/outbound phone support, consult review and necessary documentation related to care coordination for treatment of patients in the medical center or outpatient clinic.

• The position is in Health Administration Service and serves as the Lead Medical Support Assistant in PACT, Specialty Care, Mental Health, Radiology, and/or Community Care Sections.
• Incumbent performs administrative support functions including scheduling appointments, inbound/outbound phone support, consult review and necessary documentation related to care coordination for treatment of patients in the medical center or outpatient clinics.
• The Lead MSA is a subject matter expert for scheduling processes/operations and assists in training as well as workload coordination and daily workflow assignments.
• The Lead MSA demonstrates strong communication and customer services skills and works closely with all staff members performing the administrative duties essential to support the timely care of patients and support of the service/unit goals.
• The Lead MSA monitors and makes work assignments, provides input on performance, resolves daily workplace issues, and maintains efficient workflow.
• Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: assuring coverage of all areas of responsibility; conducting ongoing reviews to ensure quality of work; ensuring accurate and timely scheduling of appointments; assist in providing workload; assist in creating and maintaining employee work schedules; orienting and providing on-the-job training for new and current employees; ensuring all training requirements are met; organizing the work structure of his/her assigned areas; and acting as liaison between MSA and clinical staff in order to improve day to day operations.
• Incumbent supports workload distribution among employees in accordance with established workflow or job specialization, assures timely accomplishment of the assigned workload as directed by the MSA Supervisor; validates assigned work and reviews completed work to ensure adherence to applicable to work sequences, procedures, directives, methods, and deadlines, and communicate accordingly to the MSA Supervisor.
• Incumbent may amend or reject work not meeting established standards and provide appropriate intervention/training as directed by the MSA Supervisor.
• Lead MSA checks the status and progress of work and may support adjustments in accordance with established priorities and/or obtaining assistance from the supervisor when necessary.
• Lead MSA creates and maintains consult, RTC, and recall reports for assigned areas to ensure that patients are scheduled in a timely manner; assists with access measures by monitoring clinic appointment availability and ensures that all open appointment slots are filled; reviews open encounters on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis for all clinical areas; provides reports about open encounters to all supervisors and distributes encounters to staff for completion as directed.
• Perform clinical cancellations in accordance with policy and ensures that insurance capture has been achieved for assigned areas.
• The Lead MSA coordinates with the patient care team to review the clinic utilization by using various reports, ensure that the clinic setup is closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinic, and make any necessary adjustments.
• They develop/maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary team, VA medical centers, and other agencies. Other
• Incumbent's supervisor sets priorities but coordinates directly with the Lead MSA to organize recurring activities.
• The incumbent must coordinate efforts to ensure all aspects of duties are accomplished efficiently, timely, and correctly.

Work Schedule: TBD, Monday - Friday
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 53191-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Experience: None
• Education: High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).Grandfathering Provision: Grandfathering Provision. Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held, including positive education and registration/certification where applicable. For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply:

1. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
2. Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.

Grade Determinations:

Lead Medical Support Assistant, GS-07: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements outlined above, candidates must possess the required specialized experience and be able to demonstrate all Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs) as summarized below.

• Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-6 level. (Advising clinical staff on current administrative processes; interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with scheduling guidelines; scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults; entering no-show information; monitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sources; participating in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinic, monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments in areas of responsibility; verifying and updating demographics and insurance information when patients check-in for appointments. Coordinates administrative functions relating to emergency and non-emergency transfers to other facilities or private hospitals and determines appointment type based on the patient's eligibility status (i.e. sharing agreements, collaterals, research patient, employee, etc.)

AND

• KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES (KSAs): In addition to meeting the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  • Advanced knowledge of medical terminology and a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or community.
  • Skill in communicating with individuals to obtain the desired effect and coordinating with a variety of interdisciplinary care team staff.
  • Ability to utilize numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics in an interdisciplinary setting.
  • Ability to organize work, set priorities, and delegate tasks/responsibilities in order to meet deadlines.
  • Ability to provide staff development and training.
  • Ability to manage staffing requirements, manage workflow priorities, and adjust the flow of work to meet team and patient needs. This includes the ability to follow-up on pending issues and demonstrate an understanding of the impact of incomplete work across multiple clinics.

Preferred Experience: None
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 07.

Physical Requirements: The work performed is predominately clerical in nature and requires no special physical standards. The work is usually performed in an office setting, working with others and/or alone. As typical in an office setting, there is the possibility for multiple distractions from normal operating functions and the incumbent is expected to be able to physically perform the duties of the position, aides permitted (which may include walking, sitting, standing, reaching, and bending.) The work may also include the need for light lifting and carrying (under 15 lbs.) of work materials (i.e.: books, binders, papers, etc.).

IMPORTANT: If using post-high school education to substitute for experience at the GS-04 or GS-05, you must submit a copy of your unofficial or official transcript with your application. If selected, to meet the basic requirement of high school education or equivalent and prior to a firm job offer being extended, applicants must provide one of the following as verification of the education requirement if not covered under the grandfathering provision:

• Copy of high school diploma OR high school transcript (unofficial or official) OR GED Certificate OR homeschooling completion OR proficiency certificate issued by a State or Territorial Board or Department of Education OR college transcript (official)

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass TB test examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.