In OCM, episodes were initiated on the date of service for an initial Part B chemotherapy drug claim with a corresponding cancer diagnosis on the claim, or on the fill date for an initial Part D chemotherapy drug claim with a corresponding Part B claim for cancer on the date of, or in the 59 days preceding, the drug claim (variable called EPSD_BGN_DT). Episodes continued for six months after the triggering chemotherapy event, as long as the beneficiary met eligibility requirements for all six months; the ending date of the episode is this variable (EPSD_END_DT). Beneficiaries who continued to receive chemotherapy after completing the six-month episode initiated a new episode.
Formatted as MMDDYY10 in SAS
In OCM, episodes were initiated on the date of service for an initial Part B chemotherapy drug claim with a corresponding cancer diagnosis on the claim, or on the fill date for an initial Part D chemotherapy drug claim with a corresponding Part B claim for cancer on the date of, or in the 59 days preceding, the drug claim (variable called EPSD_BGN_DT). Episodes continued for six months after the triggering chemotherapy event, as long as the beneficiary met eligibility requirements for all six months; the ending date of the episode is this variable (EPSD_END_DT). Beneficiaries who continued to receive chemotherapy after completing the six-month episode initiated a new episode.