Lead Medical Support Assistant

Summary

The Lead Medical Support Assistants (LMSAs) are assigned to the Business Development Service Line (BDSL) located at the Cheyenne VA Health Care System (CVAHCS) in Cheyenne, WY. This includes the Fort Collins, Northern Colorado, and Loveland Outpatient Clinics.

Duties

Function 1: Customer Service and Patient Interaction Meet the needs of customers (veterans, representatives, visitors, and VA staff) while supporting VA missions. Communicate courteously, tactfully, and respectfully with veterans, representatives, visitors, and staff. Provide veteran-centered care by emotionally supporting patients and their families and respecting their values and preference. Respond to patient inquiries concerning medical, personal, and administrative matters, referring medical questions to clinical staff. Handle conflict and problems constructively and positively while listening and responding to customer concerns. Function 2: Scheduling and Administrative Support Serves as a subject matter expert on scheduling policies and clinical flow processes, ensuring that AMSAs adhere to VHA National Scheduling Guidelines. Interview patients to obtain necessary information for appointments and referrals to specialty clinics. Verify third-party insurance information, update details in the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) system, and ensure the accuracy of patient records. Perform front desk duties, such as patient check-ins, answering phones, and ensuring the timely relay of messages to clinical staff. Coordinate and verify provider orders for patient appointments, including cancellations, no-shows, and rescheduling. Function 3. Training and Staff Development Evaluate the training needs of AMSAs and develop training plans to address identified gaps. Lead and deliver training sessions on key administrative processes, patient management systems, and new scheduling policies. Mentor and support less experienced AMSAs, helping them develop proficiency in their roles. Collaborate with supervisors to monitor trainees' progress and provide feedback to improve performance. Ensure that all training records are current and that AMSAs receive the necessary training to perform their duties effectively. Function 4. Complex Administrative Support and Conflict Resolution Assist the clinic with complex administrative procedures, including coordinating clinical flow processes for patient access to care across various clinics and community resources. Serve as the primary liaison between AMSA staff, patients, and interdisciplinary team members to resolve day-to-day conflicts. Provide guidance and problem-solving assistance to staff in handling patient issues, appointment scheduling conflicts, and administrative challenges. Facilitate communication between AMSAs, patients, and clinical staff to ensure the timely resolution of issues that impact patient care. Coordinate daily workload assignments, assign tasks, ensure appropriate staffing coverage, and set break schedules. Function 5. Leadership and Collaboration Lead interdisciplinary team huddles and meetings to review scheduling practices, discuss patient care needs, and resolve workload issues. Collaborate with interdisciplinary staff to ensure scheduling practices align with VA policies and meet patient needs. Provide leadership in managing patient systems, ensuring the accuracy of scheduling data and the timely completion of appointments and consults. Act as a point of contact for patients receiving care at multiple VA facilities or in the community, coordinating their care plans with the broader care team. Function 6. Data Analysis and Scheduling Compliance Conduct weekly reviews of all scheduling data to ensure compliance with scheduling directives and guidelines. Analyze and evaluate data related to return-to-clinic orders (RTC), consults, ICB, VA Online Self-Scheduling, VAOS, No-Later-Than (NLT) appointments, and urgent scheduling needs. Identify discrepancies or missed scheduling actions and take appropriate corrective actions to meet VA guidelines. Provide feedback and recommendations to improve scheduling efficiency, reduce delays, and address urgent scheduling requirements. Function 7 Compliance and Information Security Ensure compliance with policies for the security of sensitive data, including the Privacy Act of 1974. Maintain confidentiality and ensure access to sensitive information is limited to authorized staff. Report and address any violations of information security in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Use various office automation software (e.g., VISTA, CPRS, ICBWeb, ISS, CTM) to manage patient care. Identify discrepancies or missed scheduling actions and take appropriate corrective actions to meet VA guidelines. Provide feedback and recommendations to improve scheduling efficiency, reduce delays, and address urgent scheduling requirements. Work Schedule: 8:00AM- 4:30 PM, Monday-Friday Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 51654A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorize

Qualifications

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: Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). 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. 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: NOTE: This provision is not intended to regularize appointments/placements. Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. 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. 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. Grade Determinations In addition to the basic requirements for employment listed above, the following education an