Skip to main content

SPARCS reporting: 100% accuracy is within your reach

Woman with a stethoscope reviewing data and submitting on a computer

Fulfilling the state’s requirements to report patient data to the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System can be a complex, confusing task. A single department’s data volume, let alone an entire facility’s, can be overwhelming. Many ambulatory surgery centers don’t even know that SPARCS reporting requirements apply to them.

The New York State Department of Health requires hospitals and ASCs to submit clinical, billing, admission, discharge and transfer data to SPARCS. The state uses your patient data to track and report on community trends and set more accurate reimbursement rates. But what do you get other than a repeating cycle of submission error alerts on claims that have already been paid?

SPARCS coordinators face many challenges: 

  • new state requirements;
  • inconsistent file upload formats; 
  • updated coding every quarter; and
  • error-free submission requirements.

DataGen can help you meet these challenges with our UDS (UIS Data System™) software, SPARCS expertise and analytics-first approach.

SPARCS, reimagined

UDS is the most widely used SPARCS submission tool in the State of New York. It’s a user-friendly, web-based compliance solution that:

  • submits clean data directly to the state;
  • flags and corrects most data errors pre-submission; and
  • returns only the errors that remain and can be resolved.

With UDS, everyone gets what they need: cleaner, faster, better SPARCS submission. No back and forth. No repeated fail reports.

The benefits of cleaner, faster, better

SPARCS data submission can seem more art than science — especially when your coordinators are juggling multiple roles. Here are just a few of the ways that DataGen’s software, team and service take the burden off your team’s plate and give back more time in their day:

  • Reduce SPARCS reporting time by as much as 99%

Some UDS users report their SPARCS reporting time was reduced from two weeks to 15 minutes. What could your team do with nearly 80 extra hours per month?

UDS helps your team reclaim significant time and automates almost the entire SPARCS process: 

✅Formatting patient data upload: DONE.

✅Exporting and maintaining SFTP files: DONE.

✅Submitting files weekly: DONE.

✅ Hundreds of new codes: DONE.

✅ Error correction: DONE.

DataGen identifies and fixes all your data errors: from easy-to-miss errors (e.g., ZIP code glitches, exempt claim codes) to more complex (e.g. cpt/revenue code alignments, diagnosis codes with age/gender restrictions, usage of DX codes as principal or secondary, National Drug Code validity)

  • Get current, even if you’re delinquent

If your facility receives a Statement of Deficiency from DOH, it goes on your facility’s public record. Even if you have two years of delinquent SPARCS data, DataGen can upload it all into UDS and get it submitted in less than a week.

  • Plan for the long term

Having clean, up-to-date SPARCS data is critical when it’s time to expand and submit a Certificate of Need. SPARCS data also help benchmark your performance against other facilities.

The bottom line: “One and done” data submission and increased operational capacity using software that does SPARCS all day, every day.

Ready for easy? Reach out to DataGen today to see how UDS can help your facility. We’ll also be at the Long Island Health Information Management Association conference on April 28. Stop by and say hi!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Five key components of a strong patient safety culture

In today’s healthcare environment, ensuring patient safety is more than just a priority — it’s a fundamental component of quality care. Establishing a strong patient safety culture within hospitals and health organizations can dramatically reduce errors, increase patient satisfaction and improve overall healthcare outcomes. But what exactly is a patient safety culture, and how can institutions cultivate it effectively?  This blog post explores the five key components that make up a robust patient safety culture, along with insights from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and The Joint Commission.  What is patient safety culture?  AHRQ defines patient safety culture as how an organization's culture supports and promotes patient safety. This can extend to multiple levels, from individual units to departments to system levels. The AHRQ patient safety culture survey encompasses the shared values, beliefs and norms of healthcare practitioners and staff that...

Community Health Assessment: How to Increase Collaboration

Community Health Assessments (CHAs) are vital for pinpointing community health needs. Enhancing CHAs with greater collaboration, stakeholder engagement and innovation significantly boosts their effectiveness and impact. The biennial CHA process utilizes primary and secondary data to identify priority issues, which assists in developing the Community Health Implementation Plan (CHIP).   1. Engage diverse stakeholders  Inclusive partnerships are essential for addressing health needs effectively by engaging a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including community-based organizations, healthcare providers and policymakers. By involving diverse groups, you can gain a comprehensive understanding of health needs and ensure strong support for health initiatives.   The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) emphasizes that engaging a variety of stakeholders is crucial for gathering diverse insights and securing backing for these initiatives.   B...