Lead Medical Support Assistant

The incumbent is responsible for initiating and carrying out a variety of administrative and technical duties in support of administrative coordination of patient care, appointments, and logistical factors associated with direct patient care, inpatient and outpatient, related to the coordination of care between the VAMC and outside facilities.

The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Qualifications:

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.g.).
• Experience. No experience required.
  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. MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.j

Grandfathering Provision. All MSAs employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held, which are a part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:

• Such employees may be reassigned, promoted, or changed to a lower grade within the occupation.
• 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.
• If an employee who was converted to Title 38 hybrid status under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

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.

GRADE REQUIREMENTS.
Creditable Experience. Knowledge of MSA Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid/non-paid employment as an MSA or an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting.
Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting] at the next lower grade level.
Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience as an MSA or equivalent administrative patient support in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting] is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, an MSA employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service

Grade Determinations:
Lead Medical Support Assistant, GS-7

Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-6 grade level. Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to: provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery mode, 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, recommends changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines, expertise in utilizing numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics involved in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model, coordinates 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 makes adjustments necessary.

Assignment. 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. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

1. 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.
2. Ability to utilize numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics in an interdisciplinary setting
3. Ability to organize work, set priorities, and delegate tasks/responsibilities in order to meet deadlines.
4. Skill in communicating with individuals to obtain the desired effect [and coordinating with a variety of interdisciplinary care team staff.
5. Ability to provide staff development and training.
6. 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: At least 52 weeks in the Care in the Community experience. History of training experience.

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. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-7.

Responsibilities:

DUTIES:

• The Lead MSA serves as a member of the integrated administrative and clinical team within the local Community Care department, as outlined by the Office of Community Care Operating Model. This integrated team manages the Veteran's episode of care in the community.
• Monitors daily staffing levels and ensures equal distribution of workload/coverage on a daily basis.
• The incumbent assists the Community Care Supervisor with developing contingency plans for data/input/transmission. Maintains suspense files necessary for monitoring the processing of consults.
• The incumbent is responsible for identifying backlogs in workload and potential procedural problems by observation/monitoring of the activities for the AMSAs and brings them to the attention of the Supervisor.
• The incumbent will provide weekly, monthly and quarterly reports within established time frames and report to the supervisor.
• Collaborates, communicates, sets priorities, and organizes the work in order to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
• The incumbent screens new community care consults for eligibility, specialty service requested duplication, and appropriateness of sending patients to community provider.
• The incumbent will provide on-the-job training to new employees and assist AMSAs with difficult and more complex consult problems, providing accurate instructions and workable solutions.
• The Incumbent correctly determines the Veteran's eligibility to receive medical services through Community Care and Contract Hospitalization and reviews and updates procedure manuals semi-annually ensuring all staff have updated information.
• Responsible for reviewing the work of full performance and developmental AMSAs for accuracy and completeness, using current laws and directives.
• The incumbent is skilled in tactful and effective communication both orally and in writing.
• Demonstrates advance knowledge of the technical health care process as it relates to access to care.
• Assures authorization is obtained from appropriate service chief for procedures performed at non-VA facilities.
• The incumbent assists with contacting Veterans by telephone to explain pending or new consult requests.
• The incumbent ensures that Veteran appointments are made with other VA facilities, contract providers, and/or community providers of Veteran's choice as appropriate. Effectively communicates with all community providers. Utilizes automated tracking tools as well as computers to perform a wide variety of recordkeeping, correspondence, and tracking operations is required. Skilled in data entry to manipulate and correct information in various databases or records. Educates providers and team members about patient's medical care by e-mails, fax, telephone and scanning medical documentation into Veterans' electronic medical records.
• The incumbent will maintain Office of Community Care-approved electronic systems to track consults for Community Care services.
• Demonstrates a high level of flexibility, teamwork, and multi-faceted skills by cross-training to other areas within the Department of Community Care in order to provide coverage as needed.
• Performs duty as a facility and patient educator and advocate regarding the coordination of approved/authorized community and intra/inter-facility medical care.
• Responsible for incorporating training and education modules into facility and ensures integration of new guidance into performance standards. Oversees adoption and utilization of new tools, technologies, and SOPs into staff and facility work plan.
• Completes multiple assignments varying in degree of difficulty to ensure patient needs are met, reducing internal transfers, and reducing barriers to unnecessary delays and patient care diversions.
• When records are received, the incumbent will ensure that all necessary health/administrative information are integrated into Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) by sending the documents to the appropriate department for scanning.
• Incumbent will 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.
• Performs quality control and monitoring, specifically ensuring that patient documents are linked to the correct consult and closed accurately.
• The incumbent is able to independently manage position responsibility with little to no supervision as well as set priorities and deadlines adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Telework: ADHOC ONLY
Functional Statement #: 26578-F
VA Careers - Lead Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/UJO_XH5uCLs

Salary : $63,374