How to Use NSSP Data Dictionary Tabs

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Three tabs provide additional insight into data processing:

Data Flow Enhancements Tab. Issues resolved over time can be difficult to track because there are so many aspects to data processing and so many teams involved. To simplify the process, we developed a table that shows the processing updates to data elements. You can find this table under the Data Flow Enhancements Tab. Go to the Data Dictionary. Click the Data Flow Enhancements Tab to see a summary that describes each issue, the affected data elements, and the steps taken (or planned) to resolve the issue. We also included the logic and data changes for both NSSP and ESSENCE. This table will help you monitor the status of processing changes and patches to retrospective data (if applicable).

Summary Table

C_Patient_Age (Select the first non-null value from)

Core Calculated Variables Tab. An NSSP-calculated variable is defined as a variable computed via a formula during the processing from the Raw Table into the Processed Table; a calculated variable is not included in the raw message. On the Core Calculated Variables tab, you will find flow diagrams clarifying information on eight commonly-referenced NSSP-calculated variables, including visual diagrams detailing how each variable is calculated.

Disposition Category Mapping Tab. In the past, there’s been some confusion about how ESSENCE determines Disposition Category. For those unfamiliar with how NSSP processes data to ESSENCE, the DischargeDisposition is mapped to a corresponding DispositionCategory in an ESSENCE reference table. The underlying data are stored in the format initially received in DischargeDisposition (usually disposition codes), and the mapped/formatted data are displayed in the DispositionCategory. The ESSENCE reference table is based on an original ESSENCE discharge disposition mapping table that NSSP expanded to include standard discharge disposition codes. To provide even more insight, we added a tab to the Data Dictionary that contains the reference table ESSENCE uses to do mapping.

Posted September 2018 in NSSP Update, revised June 2021.