Reporting Reminder: 8-filling and 9-filling continuous data elements in T-MSIS

Topic Description

This reporting reminder describes how to appropriately 8-fill or 9-fill values in T-MSIS to denote either not applicable or unknown.

Impacted Data Elements

The data elements affected by this reporting reminder are data elements that capture continuous variables such as payment amounts, quantities, or days. A list of example data elements follows. This list is not exhaustive and is meant to be illustrative.

• MEDICAID-PAID-AMT (CIP254, CLT208, COT178, CRX125)
• OT-RX-CLAIM-QUANTITY-ALLOWED (COT184, CRX131)
• MEDICAID-COV-INPATIENT-DAYS (CIP136, CLT086)

Reporting Reminders

• States are encouraged to use null values to indicate missing or not applicable data instead of 8-filling or 9-filling. However, 8-fill and 9-fill values will continue to be accepted for states that have already coded for this former requirement provided they are being used appropriately.  If coded correctly, each blank, space-filled, completely 8-filled and completely 9-filled value will be converted to NULL in the operational database. 
• To appropriately report an 8-fill or 9-fill value for missing or not applicable data, the data element must be fully filled to the width described for that data element with either all 8s or all 9s. Below are a few examples:
  1. A numeric data element with a size of seven positions must be blank, nothing but spaces, or filled with seven 8s (i.e. 8888888) in order for it to be interpreted to mean that it is not applicable. 
  2. A numeric data element with a size of eleven positions followed by two decimal positions must be filled with thirteen 8s (i.e. 8888888888888) in a fixed length format (FLF) file  in order for it to be interpreted to mean that it is not applicable. 
  3. A numeric data element with a size of eleven positions followed by two decimal positions must be filled with eleven 8s followed by a decimal point and two more 8s (i.e., 88888888888.88) in a pipe-separated variable (PSV) file in order for it to be interpreted to mean that it is not applicable.