HCC coding requires what regarding date of service?

• A. Date of Service must be within the data collection period
• B. Date of Service must be outside the data collection period
• C. There is no requirement for date of service
• D. Date of Service must be the same as admission date

Answer: (A)

In HCC coding, the date of service used for diagnosing conditions must fall inside the designated data collection period. This window is the timeframe CMS uses to gather encounters and diagnoses for risk adjustment, so only those service dates within that period are eligible to contribute to the current year’s HCC risk score. If a diagnosis is tied to a service date outside the data collection period, it isn’t included in that year’s risk adjustment calculation. The idea isn’t about matching admission dates or about having no requirement; it’s about ensuring all contributing diagnoses come from the same approved window, which keeps the scoring fair and consistent.