State of Maryland

A Financial Agent I is the entry level of work investigating and determining the ability of patients or their legally responsible relatives to pay for the care and treatment received from a Maryland Department of Health facility.  Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions.

Employees in this classification receive close supervision from a Financial Agent IV or higher-level administrator.  Employees are assigned to hospitals or specialized units within the Division of Reimbursements.  The work may require extensive travel and public contact.  Employees may be required to conduct investigations at any location within the State.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology. The use of this methodology involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

The Financial Agent I, Financial Agent II and Financial Agent III are differentiated on the basis of the degree of supervisory control exercised by the supervisor over these employees.  The Financial Agent I learns to perform duties under close supervision.  The Financial Agent II performs duties under close supervision at times and under general supervision at other times depending on the complexity of the specific duty being performed.  The Financial Agent III performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision.

Interviews relatives of patients at time of admission to State hospitals to secure information regarding the financial condition of the patient and/or legally responsible relatives;

Secures information from neighborhood sources, banks, friends, relatives, welfare agencies, commercial and retail stores and all other sources to accurately assess the financial condition of the patient;

Reports on the financial condition of each patient and, based on the collected evidence, recommends rate of monthly payments to be established by the department;

Interprets the laws and regulations of the collection programs to legally responsible relatives and the general public;

Investigates delinquent accounts and recommends action to be taken by the Central Collection Unit;

Investigates financial status of estates of deceased patients and recommends to the Maryland Department of Health that portion which may fairly be required to reimburse the cost of care;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of investigative methods and procedures for billing and collecting debts and judgments;

Knowledge of the benefits available to hospital patients from various sources such as insurance companies, Department of Human Services, Federal Insurance Contributions Act, Veterans Administration, Civil Service annuities, pension plans for retirement and disability, federal programs involved with patients in State hospitals;

Ability to understand and interpret State and federal laws, rules and regulations, procedures and statutory requirements;

Ability to collect financial information through personal interviews, observation and investigations;

Ability to deal with families of patients and the general public in a tactful manner;

Ability to prepare clear and accurate reports;

Ability to prepare and interpret financial statements;

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with representatives of such agencies as the Office of the Attorney General, Department of Human Services, Social Security Administration and Veterans Administration.

Education:   A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.

Experience: None.

Note:  Candidates may substitute experience in health care financing work on the life/health insurance fields in the investigation and/or adjustment of claims, at the rate of one year for 30 credit hours, for up to 60 credit hours of the required education.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions.  Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is assigned to Bargaining Unit G, Engineering, Scientific and Administrative Professionals classes.  As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.

Employees in this classification are eligible to receive overtime compensation.  An employee who works more than the normal workweek is entitled to be compensated for that overtime as provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 8-305.

This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series.  NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance levels in a classification series.  In order to be non-competitively promoted to the next level in a NCP series an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class as defined in the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification, and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.