August 11, 2008 - Invitation Letter
Dear SPARCS Representative:
Have you found yourself wondering what happens with your SPARCS data? Have you been asking yourself questions about the data you submit? If you have had these questions or others, we would like to invite you and the staff working on SPARCS data submissions to attend one of our upcoming statewide training sessions (see enclosed flyer).
We are fortunate again to have these training sessions hosted by a number of New York State's healthcare facilities and associations. This year, the training sessions are divided into two sessions: SPARCS 101 and SPARCS 102. The SPARCS 101 session is designed to cover the basics of the SPARCS submission process and is geared toward the new employee working with SPARCS. SPARCS 102 is designed to cover the uses of your SPARCS data and how to improve the data by examining the Quality Reports on the Health Commerce System (HCS). Each session will cover the changes for 2009 for SPARCS. The following page provides a basic outline of the questions we are addressing in each session.
Please note that the collection of the "Expanded Outpatient Clinic Data" will not be addressed at this time.
SPARCS knows that if you've had a certain question, submission problem, or data error, then most likely someone else has had the same one. We welcome attendees to email us questions prior to the presentation at sparcs@health.state.ny.us. This will allow us to address as many submitter concerns as possible.
All members of your facility's SPARCS Data Submission Team-from Admissions to Medical Records, IT to Quality-are encouraged to attend. We hope to cover a wide range of topics in order to provide assistance for your specific needs.
To register for training sessions please reference the enclosed flyer for each specific location.
Thank you for your time, and we look forward to seeing you soon.
Sincerely,
Laura K. Dellehunt
Director, SPARCS Administrative Unit
Bureau of Biometrics and Health Statistics
