What are Occurrence Codes and Occurrence Span Codes used for?

• A. They document events and time periods related to the encounter (e.g., date of birth, date of accident, dates of service) that may affect payment, paired with span codes for ranges.
• B. They determine the patient’s room number.
• C. They track medication administration in real time.
• D. They encode physician license numbers.

Answer: (A)

Occurrence Codes and Occurrence Span Codes on the UB-04 are used to capture events and their timing that may affect how a claim is paid. They document events and time periods related to the encounter (for example, date of birth, date of accident, dates of service) and pair with span codes to show date ranges or durations. This information helps the payer understand special circumstances that can modify payment, such as an accident date, onset of illness, or other time-related factors. They aren’t about assigning a patient’s room, tracking medications in real time, or encoding physician licenses, which are handled by other parts of the claim.