The Lead MSA will serve in Primary Care (Ambulatory Care North) service located in Central Texas Veterans Health Care System (CTVHCS). The incumbent will act in the capacity of liaison/expeditor between patients and clinical staff as well as specialty staff and ancillary services. They will serve as a knowledge reference for staff regarding programs and processes conducted in the Ambulatory Care North.
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 and Education. Experience. Six months experience of clerical, office, [customer service], or other [administrative] work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position; OR, Education. One year above high school; OR, Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable. Certification. None required. Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. English Language Proficiency. MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.j. 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: GS-7: Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-6 grade level. Experience includes: schedule/cancel/re-schedule patient appointments and/or consults; enter no-show information; monitor appointment requests from multiple electronic sources; participate in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinic; monitor both inpatient and outpatient appointments in areas of responsibility; verify and update demographics and insurance information when patients check-in for appointments; enter appropriate information into the electronic record; manage patient systems to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: 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 resources. 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. Skill in communicating with individuals to obtain the desired effect [and coordinating with a variety of interdisciplinary care team staff 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: Ability to work independently to accomplish a wide variety of duties, including setting & leading priorities, coordinating tasks, training and organizing workflow. Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively, both orally and in writing, to meet program objectives. This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels. Ability to gather and trend data to determine efficiency of internal processes. Ability to operate computerized programs and databases to enter, modify and retrieve sensitive information/data into or from electronic medical records, scheduling systems and/or reports. Excel most importantly. Independently utilizes reference sources, decision making, and lead team work to collaborate and resolve problems within a complex systems environment. Ability to identify customer's concerns, perform the tasks required to resolve the issue accurately and timely, and follow-up as necessary to ensure a satisfactory resolution. 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-7. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.
Major duties include, but are not limited to: 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. 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. 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. Assists staff with a variety of clerical duties in one or more outpatient clinics that provide a variety of medical services. Must have knowledge of clinic procedures and regulations; basic medical terminology, skill in operating computer systems and applications, such as VistA, CPRS, and Microsoft applications to accurately enter or extract information. Performs a variety of administrative functions associated with patient care and treatment in one of several clinics performing a variety of medical services. Screen/receive phone calls in a courteous and timely manner, determine the nature of requests and provide the information desired using privacy rules and established clinic processes. Assures AMSA/MSA staff explains the VA's mandate to collect insurance information to veterans, their families, and other eligible patients. Assures staff collects, scans, and updates health insurance information serving a major role in the revenue process. Distribute and balance workload amongst employees including him/her in accordance with established workflows and schedules. Ensure timely accomplishment of the assigned workload and assure that each employee has enough to keep them busy. Keep in touch with the status and progress of work and make day-to-day adjustments in accordance with established priorities, obtaining assistance from the supervisor on problems that may arise such as backlogs which cannot be disposed of promptly. Work should be monitored so that backlogs do not occur. Give on-the-job training to employees in accordance with established policies and practices. Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm or 8:30am - 5:00pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 54156F / Lead Medical Support Assistant Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized