UB04 Field 6: Statement Covers Period

Here is the complete markdown article for UB04 Field 6: Statement Covers Period.

Overview

Field 6, “Statement Covers Period,” captures the date range for which the claim covers services. On the UB04 paper form, it is labeled “Statement Covers Period (From-Through)” and expects two MM/DD/YY entries: a “From” date (earliest service date on the bill) and a “Through” date (the last date for which accommodations are paid). This field is mandatory for both inpatient and outpatient claims. For inpatient admissions, the “Through” date must never be the date of discharge or death — Medicaid does not pay for accommodations after the patient leaves the facility. For outpatient services, only a single date of service may appear on a single UB04, so both dates will be identical. The field ensures that the billing period aligns with the actual dates of care, preventing payment for services outside the covered interval. ^[1] and ^[2] both emphasize that the dates on each service line must fall between the “From” and “Through” dates, and that “split” billing (separate invoices for parts of an admission) is not allowed for acute care hospitals except under specific circumstances.

When to Use

Field 6 is required on every UB04 claim submission. For inpatient stays, the “From” date is the admission date, and the “Through” date is the last day for which the facility expects payment — typically the day before discharge or death. For example, if a patient is admitted on 01/05/2024 and discharged on 01/10/2024, the “Through” date should be 01/09/2024 (not 01/10/2024). Outpatient claims use a single service date, so both “From” and “Through” are the same. The field must be completed correctly to avoid denials; if the “Through” date equals the discharge/death date, the claim will be rejected because Medicaid does not cover that day. Providers should also ensure that all service line dates (e.g., in FL 14 or FL 45) fall within the period. When a claim spans multiple dates (e.g., a multi-day outpatient service), the “From” and “Through” dates define the entire billing window. ^[3] explicitly states that FL 6 is required and that the dates must be entered in MM/DD/YY format.

Step-by-Step Claim Example

A sample UB04 claim for a 3-day inpatient stay (admitted 02/01/2024, discharged 02/03/2024) would complete Field 6 as follows:

• From: 020124 (MMDDYY)
• Through: 020224 (the day before discharge; if discharge is 02/03, the last paid day is 02/02) The claim would also include service lines for each day (FL 14) with dates 020124, 020224, and possibly 020324 if a service was rendered on discharge day (though that day is not paid). For outpatient, a single visit on 03/15/2024 would show both “From” and “Through” as 031524. The provider must verify that the “Through” date never matches the discharge/death date. If the patient died on 02/03, the “Through” should be 02/02. A common mistake is entering the discharge date as the “Through” date, which triggers a denial. Another error is using dates outside the service period — e.g., listing a “From” date after the actual start of care. The field must be populated exactly as the instructions specify: two 6-digit numbers in MMDDYY format, with no spaces or delimiters. ^[1] provides a clear example: “From” 010115, “Through” 011015 for a Jan 1–Jan 10 stay.

Common Mistakes & Audit Red Flags

Auditors and claim reviewers frequently flag Field 6 errors. The most common mistake is setting the “Through” date to the discharge or death date — this is explicitly disallowed by CMS and Medicaid rules. For example, if a patient is discharged on 01/15/2024, the “Through” must be 01/14/2024. Another frequent error is using non-numeric characters (e.g., “Jan 5” instead of “010524”) or omitting leading zeros (e.g., “10524” instead of “010524”). Providers also sometimes confuse the “From” and “Through” roles, swapping them or entering a range that does not cover all service lines. Split billing (separate claims for different parts of a single admission) is another red flag — acute care hospitals must submit one consolidated bill for the entire stay, unless an exception applies (e.g., a transfer to another facility). If service line dates fall outside the “From–Through” window, the claim may be denied. Finally, incomplete or missing dates (e.g., leaving one field blank) will cause rejection. To avoid these issues, always double-check that the “Through” date is the day before discharge/death, that both dates are in MMDDYY format with leading zeros, and that the range encompasses every service line date. ^[2] and ^[1] both contain explicit warnings about these pitfalls.

Related Codes/Fields (markdown table)

Field	Description	Requirement	Common Errors
FL 6	Statement Covers Period (From–Through)	Required on all UB04 claims	Through date = discharge/death; swapped From/Through; non-MMDDYY format; missing leading zeros; dates outside service window
FL 14	Date of Service (for each line)	Required per service line	Dates must fall within FL 6 range; missing or invalid dates
FL 45	Service Line Date (for outpatient)	Required if different from FL 6	Must match FL 6 for single-day visits; otherwise must be within range
FL 4	Type of Bill	Required	Inpatient vs. outpatient codes affect FL 6 logic
FL 8	Patient Name/Identifier	Required	Must match across all fields; errors cause linkage issues
FL 31	Occurrence Code(s)	Optional	Can indicate discharge/death; may conflict with FL 6 Through date

Key takeaway: Field 6 is the backbone of the billing period. Getting it wrong — even by one day — can lead to a full claim denial. Always verify that the “Through” date is the day prior to discharge/death, and that all service dates are inside the range. Use MMDDYY format with leading zeros, and never split an inpatient stay into multiple claims unless a valid transfer exception applies.

---

References

[1] Maryland Medicaid UB04 Instructions — https://health.maryland.gov/mmcp/provider/Documents/ffs-billing/UB04-Hospital-Billing-Instructions%20%281%29.pdf

[2] CMS Chapter 25 — https://www.cms.gov/regulations-and-guidance/guidance/manuals/downloads/clm104c.pdf

[3] CMS R1915CP — https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Transmittals/downloads/R1915CP.pdf