Q&A: Determining the dates of service

Q: How do we determine the "from" date (form locator [FL] 6) on the UB-04?

A: This field indicates the dates of service of the individual charges included on the claim, with the “from” date being the earliest date of service on the claim. In most cases, the “from” date is the date of the arrival of the patient at the hospital as reflected by the registration date and time in the accounts receivable (AR) system. For preadmitted or preregistered accounts, the account is not in active status until it has been activated by the patient access staff at the time the patient arrives at the hospital. The “from” date is usually the discharge date or the date that the outpatient encounter ends.

For more information, The Chargemaster Essentials Toolkit, Second Edition.