The Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) is a comprehensive all-payer data collection system established under Section 2816 of the Public Health Law (PHL) in 1979 due to cooperation between the healthcare industry and state government. The system was initially created to collect information on inpatient discharges but has expanded over the years. SPARCS currently collects patient-level details on patient characteristics, diagnoses and treatments, services, and charges for inpatient and outpatient services (ambulatory surgery, emergency department, and outpatient services).
Additionally, SPARCS allows for there to be a primary location for a comprehensive data collection and data release system for patient discharge data across New York State that could be accessed for research and development and to identify health trends in the State of New York.
SPARCS data is used by various stakeholders for various purposes, including setting hospital financial rates, developing and evaluating policy, conducting research, health planning/resource allocation, assessing quality of care, conducting surveillance, and reviewing utilization.
Glossary: a list of SPARCS terms and definitions.