The Mortality Indicator is an additional data element that can be appended to an identifiable data file(s) if requested.
Mortality indicators identify whether the patient’s disposition is deceased at 7-, 15-, 30-, 180-, or 360-days post admission date and 7-, 15-, 30-, 180-, or 360-days post discharge date. It is important to note that the mortality indicator only provides fact of death, it does not provide cause of death. Mortality indicators are created by NYSDOH and are available for data files from 2005 to the present.
Mortality indicators are available for SPARCS inpatient and outpatient (ambulatory surgery, emergency department, and outpatient services) claims data. The data is extracted by claim type (IP/OP) and can be provided as a .DAT or SAS file.
The Mortality Indicator connects to the identifiable data file via the Claim Trans ID. This option provides researchers with an indication of death to facilitate patient outcomes research.
You can request mortality indicators by listing them in question 3C of the SPARCS Application Form (DOH-5132). You must provide a justification explaining why mortality indicators are required for your proposed project.