Lead Medical Support Assistant-Mental Health Integrated Clinical Community

The Lead Medical Support Assistant (MSA) is located in the Mental Health Integrated Clinical Community (MH ICC) at the St. Cloud VA Health Care System and is the first administrative point-of-contact for Veterans, family members, and other visitors contacting the MH ICC. This position provides lead-level administrative support to clinical staff members and Veterans, in addition to overseeing the daily clerical functions of scheduling for all Outpatient Mental Health areas.

Communication - Expertly develops and maintains effective and efficient communication with Veterans, outside agencies, all VA staff, and other customers. - Communicates with Veterans and provides information necessary to resolve complaints, including complex or sensitive complaints escalated from other MSA staff. - Participates in, and independently leads or follows up on, team huddles/meetings, sharing information and collaborating with the medical team to assure continuity of care. - Expert knowledge to access and interpret reports for clinic utilization (scrubbing clinic schedules to ensure appropriate scheduling), Access databases, consults, tracking scheduling attempts and consult scheduling, and other reports as they become available. - Serves as the main point of contact for Secure Messages sent to assigned teams; fulfills requests directly or forwards to appropriate staff for follow-up and completion. - Runs the LAMSA report for all BHIP teams and other teams within the MH ICC, monitoring completion and following up with AMSAs as needed. AMSAs remain responsible for their individual LAMSA emails/actions. - Advises and trains MSA and Advanced MSA staff on how to handle problems and complaints as they arise; keeps the Supervisory MSA advised and obtains assistance as needed. - Advanced knowledge of non-violent crisis intervention and anger de-escalation; serves as a resource to other staff on these techniques. Administrative and Operational - Uses VSE GUI, VISTA, CPRS, VEText, CTM, Outlook e-mail, OneNote, and other computer systems and daily office operations. - Files, maintains, and secures medical records as appropriate and in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). - Responsible for running reports and for directing distribution, tracking, and follow-up on outstanding or incomplete consults, orders, messages, and appointments. - Enters and reviews information in the electronic medical record for accuracy and completeness. - Provides expert-level management of scheduling and receipt of consults across the MH ICC. - Facilitates release of information requests. - Processes incoming and outgoing materials, such as correspondence, reports, memoranda, and other written communication. - Set deadlines and priorities for MSA staff, adjusting workflow to help meet deadlines and cover gaps in staffing. - Prepares agendas, records, and publishes minutes, and follows up on meeting actions. - Obtains and monitors the use of services, supplies, and/or equipment for the office. - Coordinates with the interdisciplinary team to review clinic utilization and identify scheduling process improvements. - Works with teams to reinforce the plan of care and self-help solutions. - Participates in and provides expert input on problem-solving for operational issues and procedures in meetings. - Expert knowledge of the technical health care process relating to access to care. - Trains new and current employees and serves as a subject-matter resource for less experienced MSA and Advanced MSA staff. - Processes all health care providers' orders accurately, identifying priority of STAT versus routine orders and taking appropriate action by notifying responsible personnel or services; seeking clarification of orders when appropriate. - Receives and responds to unclear inquiries concerning a variety of medical, personnel, and administrative matters; determines the general nature of the inquiry and independently responds to administrative questions. - Makes calls to coordinate information and actions relating to Veteran care and services; relays information and requests between Veterans and the treatment team. - Manages and oversees VISTA grids, including but not limited to restoring and closing clinics. - Understands how to handle a suicide call and serves as a resource/trainer to other MSA staff on crisis-call protocols. - Pre-registers Veterans, verifying and updating demographics and insurance information. - Follows HIPAA rules; ensure data is shared with others only on an as-needed basis and that no discussion of Veterans occurs in halls or off-station. - Assists in training new or less experienced employees and provides ongoing mentorship. - Distributes and balances daily workload among assigned MSA staff based on volume and staff availability. - Runs daily reports for MSA staff, monitoring for accuracy and following up on discrepancies or outstanding items. - Serves as first-line resource for MSA staff questions before escalation to the Supervisory MSA. - Handles issues at the lowest level and resolves them in a timely manner. - Performs the full range of basic MSA duties as a back-up when needed. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this 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.