The Lead Medical Support Assistant (MSA) is assigned to the VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System (VASNHCS) Community Care (CC) Service. CC Service is committed to the delivery of accessible, efficient, cost-effective, value-based, high-quality care. The Community Care Program serves eligible Veteran populations through community providers in a variety of patient care settings such as emergent, inpatient, outpatient, and extended care.

Duties

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm Telework: Available - Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00122F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required The incumbent serves as the Lead MSA on the CC Program team and performs duties related to the administrative aspects of non-institutionalized patient care in the receipt, intake, and indexing of health and administrative information. The Lead MSA is responsible for initiating and carrying out a variety of administrative and technical duties in support of community care referral management. The incumbent provides 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 VASNHCS and outside facilities, both VA and non VA. Incumbent uses a broad working knowledge of all medical center programs and services and of the varying priorities and complexities of outside care for specialty services. The complexity of duties may encompass numerous clerical responsibilities, including but not limited to: typing, filing, data entry, scheduling appointments and tests, ensuring transfer of medical records from and to the VASNHCS and other facilities, ordering office supplies and necessary forms, scheduling patient appointments and/or consults, tracking patient appointment status in the community and maintaining spreadsheets to validate data tracking, making follow-up (post-care) calls on a daily basis, researching and maintaining an updated database of community medical services to assist Veterans with locating medical care in the community; assisting with processing all emergent and non- emergent consults for medical care in the community. Duties of the position include, but are not limited to: Serves as a member of the integrated administrative and clinical team within the CC Service. Monitors daily staffing levels and ensures equal distribution of workload/coverage on a daily basis. Assists the CC Supervisory MSA with developing contingency plans for data/input/transmission. Maintains suspense files necessary for monitoring the processing of consults. Responsible for identifying backlogs in workload and potential procedural problems by observation/monitoring of the activities for the MSAs and AMSAs and brings them to the attention of the Supervisory MSA. Provide periodic workload and productivity reports within established time frames and report to the supervisor. Incumbent will perform spot checks to ensure all AMSAs are processing consults following Office of Community Care (OCC) procedures and guidelines. Utilizes automated tracking tools as well as computers to perform a wide variety of recordkeeping, correspondence, and tracking operations. Maintain OCC approved electronic systems to track consults for CC services. Provide on-the-job training to new employees and assist AMSAs with difficult and more complex consult problems, providing accurate instructions and workable solutions Correctly determines the Veteran's eligibility to receive medical services through CC, reviews and updates procedure manuals semi-annually or as needed with program changes ensuring all staff have updated information. Educates providers and team members about patient medical care by e-mails, fax, telephone and scanning medical documentation into the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS). 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 reviewing the work of full performance and developmental MSAs/AMSAs for accuracy and completeness, using current laws and directives. Performs quality control and monitoring, specifically ensuring that patient documents are linked to the correct consult and closed accurately. Skilled in tactful and effective communication both orally and in writing. Demonstrates advanced knowledge of the technical health care process as it relates to access to care. Contact Veterans by telephone to address complaints or concerns that have been elevated to the Lead for resolution. Collaborates, communicates, sets priorities, and organizes the work in order to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations. 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. Completes multiple assignments varying in degree of difficulty to ensure patient needs are met. Oversees adoption and utilization of new tools, technologies, and SOPs into staff and facility work plan. Must have and maintain a valid unrestricted driver's license. Other duties as assigned by management.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/30/2023. 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. English Language Proficiency: Advanced Medical Support Assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Policy. 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. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty), and a range of varieties as described in this standard, at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time . 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. 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). Grade Determinations: Lead Medical Support Assistant, GS-7 Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the [GS-6] grade level. 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. References: VA Handbook 5005, PART II, APPENDIX G45 Medical Support Assistant VA Qualification Standards. Preferred Experience: Working with Community Providers to include; receiving and processing medical authorizations and any associated problems by providing excellent customer service via phone, fax, email or Teams. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-07. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-07. Physical Requirements: This is primarily a sedentary position. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019

Education

There is no education substitution at this grade level.

Contacts

• Address VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System 975 Kirman Avenue Reno, NV 89502 US
• Name: Brittany Strite
• Phone: 3045797687
• Email: [email protected]