LEAD MEDICAL SUPPORT ASSISTANT

The employee serves as a Lead Medical Support Assistant (LMSA) under the Department Ambulatory Care at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The LMSA will serve as administrative support to assigned section/clinics within Ambulatory Care (included but not limited to Call Center, CBOC, Primary Care, Mental Health, or Specialty Care or Specialty Care Modules).

The LMSA is responsible for planning and directing the MSA's activities as they relate to improved performance, patient flow, and clinic operations. LMSA will act as a mentor/educator and may lead training sessions as necessary for improved employee performance within their assigned section or to cover MSA duties from a different section. The LMSA will be the liaison between the MSA's and the designated supervisory official (or delegated authority during absence and/or vacancy of primary supervisor) within the section to help problem-solve any scheduling, administrative, or systems issues that arise. LMSA will work closely with the Supervisory MSA, Supervisory Clinical Admin Specialist, Administrative Officer, Business Manager, and with various departments outside of Ambulatory Care to troubleshoot/resolve pertinent issues and improve administrative workflow.

Lead Medical Support Assistants are considered skilled on the following:

• Scheduling, cancelling, and re-scheduling patient appointments by managing appointment requests (including but not limited to Return-to-Clinic Orders (RTC), Recall Reminders, Veteran's Appointment Requests (VAR), Consults, and Patient initiated requests) in accordance with scheduling business rules and policies, as outlined in VHA Directive 1230, Outpatient Scheduling Management, and VHA Directive 1232, Consult Management, utilizing scheduling programs as mandated by your supervisor.
• Consult Management: Coordinate the scheduling/rescheduling of consults or forwarding of consults to community care using the various scheduling systems and tools. Contacts the Veteran to discuss VA and community care options, gathering the Veteran's scheduling preferences, and appropriately documents all mandatory consult scheduling elements in the Consult Toolbox (CTB). Responsible for tracking consult progress from file entry date to the scheduled date or cancellation of the consult.
• Responsible for managing incoming and outgoing digital and physical faxes. Distributes, receives, sorts, and delivers incoming and outgoing mail or other documents to the appropriate individuals.
• Responding to incoming correspondences, including, but not limited to, Microsoft Outlook emails, Microsoft Teams Messages, Voicemails, and Secure Messaging within the timeliness parameters as designated supervisor/department.
• Responsible for Lobby Management, including, but not limited to: monitoring the cleanliness of the lobby (escalating concerns to other departments as necessary), restocking flyers and brochures, and addressing Veterans that have been waiting longer than 15 minutes.
• Appropriately complete initial paperwork for walk-in "triage" patient's, notifies the appropriate nursing staff members and bring urgent matters to the immediate attention of clinical staff. Collaborates effectively with other staff to ensure patient concerns are addressed.
• Responsible for processing view alerts per VHA policy timelines.
• Completes no-show reconciliation at the end of each clinic period, including the rescheduling of patients per VHA policy.
• Prepares clinic materials at the beginning or end of workday, per department policy.
• Electronically uploads outside test results into electronic medical record.
• Maintains up to date training on VA Scheduling Requirements.
• The incumbent may provide on-the-job training to new employees in accordance with established procedures and practices and may provide feedback to new employees.
• Must have minimum basic knowledge of Veteran Health Care Eligibility included but not limited to: Mission Act eligibility for Community Care services, CHAMPVA, VA Priority Groups, and Dental eligibility. The MSA must also have general knowledge of the role of other San Francisco VA Health Care System departments included by not limited to Medical Services, Business Services, Environmental Management, and Patient Experience.
• Serves as the initial point of contact for patients, determining the patient's needs. Facilitates resolution, within their scope, or directs patient to the appropriate area of need.
• May be required to perform the following: Troubleshooting/reconciling open encounters, provide higher level consult review, overbooking, entering leaf requests, clinic profile management, monitoring individual ICB configuration, service level recovery, filing, collating materials, ordering supplies, provide patient information.
• The LMSA may be tasked to provide training to employees within various sections within their department.
• LMSA may be tasked to perform timekeeping duties as assigned.
• LMSA may be tasked to provide backup MSA coverage as needed.

Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am-4:30pm or as determined by supervisor.
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 662-09854F
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: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• 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.
• Licensure/Certification/Registration. None.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Grandfathering Provision. 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).

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for placement at grade levels specified.

Lead Medical Support Assistant, GS-07.
Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-06).

At the GS-06 grade level, the Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), performs difficult and specialized administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Work involves specialized administrative judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or care in the community resources. They use numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics involved in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. They coordinate with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability to ensure that clinic schedules are closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinics and adjust as necessary. They efficiently communicate with the patient, interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies (e.g., assist with communications during the inpatient to outpatient discharge; communicate with non-VA medical facilities; prepare correspondence to notify patients of normal lab results; manage a system for follow-up care such as consults, tests, etc.).
OR
At the GS-06 grade level, the Lead Medical Support Assistant spends at least 25% of their time performing lead duties. The Lead MSA is responsible for answering questions for lower graded staff relating to health care services in an inpatient or outpatient setting. They monitor and make work assignments, provide input on performance, resolve daily workplace issues, and maintain efficient workflow. Assignments 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; providing guidance to staff members, to include changes in policies and procedures; distributing and balancing workload; 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 a liaison between MSA and staff to resolve day to day conflicts.
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.

Assignment. For all Lead assignments the Lead MSA must spend at least 25% or more of their time performing lead duties. The Lead MSA is responsible for the coordination of Advanced MSA assignments and workflow found in an interdisciplinary unit. The Lead MSA is responsible for daily workload assessments, assigning work, and assuring proper staffing coverage; evaluating training records; and determining training needs of MSAs to provide support across interdisciplinary settings. The Lead assists the unit with complex and non-standard procedures, including clinical flow processes related to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or community resources. Assignments at this level include but are not limited to ensuring accurate and timely scheduling of appointments; providing guidance to staff members, to include changes in policies and procedures; creating and maintaining employee work schedules; and acting as a liaison among Advanced MSA staff, patients, and other interdisciplinary staff to resolve day-to-day conflicts.

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: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

• 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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.