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Data Element Name:  Admission Date/Start of Care
SPARCS Data Element Number:  5
Record Positions:  45 - 52 Format-Length:  N - 8
Effective Date:  1/1/1994 Revision Date:  January 2003
Definition:

The date the patient received ambulatory surgical services at the hospital-based ambulatory surgery facility or free-standing ambulatory surgery center, or emergency services at the Emergency Department.

Codes and Values:
  1. YYYY MM DD = Year Month Day

  2. Must have been a valid date in accordance with the Date Edit Validation Table in Appendix A.
Edit Applications:
  1. Must have been on or before Discharge Date (Data Element 6).

  2. Must have been on or before the Date Processed (Data Element 71).

  3. Must have been on or after the opening date, and on or before the closing date, of a hospital-based ambulatory surgery service or free-standing ambulatory surgery center as specified in the SPARCS Hospital Profile Reference File maintained by the SPARCS Administrative Unit.

  4. The age, calculated as the difference between the Patient Birthdate (Data Element 10) and the Admission Date/Start of Care, must have been less than 125.

  5. Emergency Department Only:
    The Admission/Start of Care Date can be within four (4) days from the Discharge Date (Data Element 6).

    NOTE: The four days takes into consideration the observation time that would be allowable for payment of an Emergency Department visit.