The service date on outpatient lines is entered in which format?

The service date on outpatient lines is entered in which format?

• A. The service date is required for outpatient services and should be MMDDYY
• B. The service date is used only for inpatient services and should be MMDDYY
• C. Service dates are not used on UB-04
• D. Service dates are always in YYYY-MM-DD

Answer: (A)

On UB-04, each outpatient service line must include a service date in MMDDYY. This two-digit year format keeps the date compact and aligns with payer systems that process the claim line-by-line. Because the service date per outpatient line identifies exactly when the service occurred, it’s required to be present and in the MMDDYY format; using a four-digit year or a different arrangement like YYYY-MM-DD would not match UB-04 conventions and can cause claim edits. Service dates are indeed used on UB-04, and the outpatient requirement specifically uses MMDDYY on each line item.

On UB-04, each outpatient service line must include a service date in MMDDYY. This two-digit year format keeps the date compact and aligns with payer systems that process the claim line-by-line. Because the service date per outpatient line identifies exactly when the service occurred, it’s required to be present and in the MMDDYY format; using a four-digit year or a different arrangement like YYYY-MM-DD would not match UB-04 conventions and can cause claim edits. Service dates are indeed used on UB-04, and the outpatient requirement specifically uses MMDDYY on each line item.