Q&A: Determining dates of service for preadmitted patients

Q: In form locator (FL) 6 of the UB-04, what date should be listed as the "from" date for a preadmitted patient?

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, see The Chargemaster Essentials Toolkit, Second Edition.