1. Let SAS Do the Coding for You! Robert Williams Business Info Analyst Sr. WellPoint Inc.

2. Overview Coding Dilemma: Direct coding or “Robo-Coding”? Step 1: Setting up SAS Data Set for “Robo-Coding” Step 2a: Technique #1 – Macro variable Generate SAS code using DATA _NULL_ and CALL SYMPUT to a macro Step 2b: Technique #2 – External SAS code file Generate SAS code using DATA _NULL_ and PUT statements to write to an external SAS program file Step 3: Run the auto-generated SAS codes Extra Example and Conclusion 2

3. Coding Dilemma: Claims Data Extract Request Example data extraction asking for a subset of claims based on the following diagnosis and the corresponding diagnosis categories Muscle problems that are of a disabling nature, limited to: 356.1, 359.0-359.2, 045.9, 728.11 Hemophilia: 286.0-286.4 Acquired or congenital heart disease: 745.0-747.9; 424.0-429.9 3

4. Coding Dilemma: 1-digit & 2-digit DX sub-codes Diagnosis (DX) codes can be cumbersome to code into the WHERE statement due to having to account for each 1-digit and 2-digit sub-codes. Example: To account for all medical DX codes from 359.0 to 359.2 (www.icd9data.com)www.icd9data.com 4

5. Coding Dilemma: Write the code the hard way Code all the LIKE statements with % Code all the WHEN statements with different sizes for SUBSTR function 5

6. Step 1: Setting up SAS Data File Create a SAS data set with key data. It can be created in a DATA step or imported from Excel. DX_listDX_CATEGORY 0459Muscle problems 3561Muscle problems 3590Muscle problems 3591Muscle problems 3592Muscle problems 72811Muscle problems 2860Hemophilia 2861Hemophilia 2862Hemophilia 2863Hemophilia 2864Hemophilia 424Heart disease 425Heart disease 426Heart disease 427Heart disease 428Heart disease 429Heart disease 745Heart disease 746Heart disease 747Heart disease Categories for the WHEN statements DX codes for WHERE statements and WHEN statements (without decimals) Muscle problems: 356.1, 359.0-359.2, 045.9, 728.11 Hemophilia: 286.0-286.4 Heart disease: 745.0-747.9; 424.0-429.9 6

7. Step 2a: Technique #1 – Macro Variable Using the SAS data set from previous slide (Step 1), this technique uses DATA _NULL_ to generate a data string for the WHERE statement like this “ WHERE IDCD_ID like '747%' or IDCD_ID like '0459%' or … ” Uses the RETAIN statement so the data string is retained for each DATA step iteration Uses the END statement and CALL SYMPUT function to output the data string to a macro variable. The CALL SYMPUT is invoked at the last iteration of the DATA step 7

8. Step 2a: Technique #1 – The Robo-Coder DATA _NULL_ step code to generate the data string At _n_=1, start the string. Then At _n_>1, “OR…” is added to the data string At _n_ = 1, where_string = IDCD_ID like "0459%" At _n_ = 2, where_string = IDCD_ID like "0459%" OR IDCD_ID like "3561%" At the last iteration, the DATA _NULL_ outputs the where_string value as a SAS macro variable named: “IDCD_ID_WHERE_STATEMENT" 8

9. Step 2a: Technique #1 – The Robo-Coder DATA _NULL_ step code to generate the data string Using the %PUT statement, the macro variable will look like this in the SAS log _n_ = 1 starts the string, after that, the “OR…” is added to the data string 9

10. Step 2b: Technique #2 – External Program File Using the SAS data set from Step 1, this technique uses DATA _NULL_ to write the series of SELECT/WHEN statements to an external SAS program file using the PUT statements Uses FILENAME statement to establish external SAS file reference i.e. “ tmpwhen ” to be used with FILE statement Uses LENGTH function to determine the size of the DX_LIST field of the SAS data set (from step 1) i.e. “ str_length = put(length(DX_LIST),1.0); ” Each DATA step iteration writes the each WHEN statement for the DX_ Category 10

11. Step 2b: Technique #2 – External Program File Uses the END statement (inside the SET statement) to write the final the final two lines of the series of SELECT/WHEN statements i.e. “ OTHERWISE DX_category="WHAT CATEGORY?!"; END; ” When the DATA _NULL_ is completed, the external SAS program file is created with SELECT/WHEN statement block generated by all the PUT statements inside the DATA _NULL_ 11

12. Step 2b: Technique #2 – The Robo-Coder DATA _NULL_ step code to write to external program Filename statement established an external SAS file with reference name ” tmpwhen ”. LENGTH function to get the size of DX_LIST field. It changes for each DATA step iteration. At _n_ = 1, it writes to the SAS file these two lines select; when (substr(IDCD_ID,1,4) = '0459') DX_category = 'Muscle problems'; At _n_ = 2 and so on, it writes another line to the SAS file like this when (substr(IDCD_ID,1,4) = '3561') DX_category = 'Muscle problems'; At the last iteration, it writes these two lines to the SAS file OTHERWISE DX_category = "WHAT CATEGORY?!"; END; 12

13. Step 2b: Technique #2 – The Robo-Coder Opening up the SAS program name “tempwhenstatements.sas”, you will see this block of statements Notice how the length size changes for the SUBSTR function 13

14. Step 3: Run the auto-generated SAS codes Invoke the macro variable inside the WHERE statement using the “ & ” sign or ampersand symbol Insert external SAS program using the %INCLUDE statement. Note: this line, “ options source2; ” will allow the external SAS code to display in the log. Invoke macro here Insert external SAS code as referenced with FILENAME 14

15. Step 3: What the auto-generated code looks like It looks exactly the same as slide 6 if I hard coded it manually. 15

16. Step 3: Result of the claims data extraction Here is the results of the claims data extraction as well as the DX categories. Claim_IDDOSIDCD_IDDX_category 52195926901MAR20132863Hemophilia 62055859301MAR20133591Muscle problems 83444649401MAR201342511Heart disease 35065044001MAR20132860Hemophilia 99940051004MAR20137467Heart disease 29558346404MAR201374510Heart disease 29477860004MAR20137452Heart disease 72517522806MAR20132860Hemophilia 57626119906MAR20134280Heart disease 32527786106MAR201335921Muscle problems 70235284607MAR20134254Heart disease 57542583007MAR20134281Heart disease 74028835807MAR20137464Heart disease 24518923808MAR20132860Hemophilia 93008096911MAR201342821Heart disease 41188068711MAR20133591Muscle problems 93185174014MAR20133591Muscle problems 30581326116MAR20133590Muscle problems 16

17. Extra Example Suppose, we get data with the patients’ diagnoses. We want to transpose the patients diagnosis to put the most severe diagnoses in the first column based on diag scores 17 NOTE: Some patient has only one diag while others has four diags (or maybe more.) DX 055 has a higher diag score than DX 058. So, it will be first for the first patient.

18. Extra Example SAS code to sort each patient ID with diag_score in descending sort before transposing the diags into columns. /* Sort the diag data with the highest diag score on top for each patient */ proc sort data=work.vasug_sample_diag; by patient_id descending diag_score; run; /* Transpose the diag for each patient */ proc transpose data=work.vasug_sample_diag out=work.trans_diags (drop= _name_ _label_) prefix=diag_; var DIAG; by patient_id; run; 18

19. Extra Example SAS code to sort each patient ID with diag_score in descending sort before transposing the diags into columns. /* Sort the diag data with the highest diag score on top for each patient */ proc sort data=work.vasug_sample_diag; by patient_id descending diag_score; run; /* Transpose the diag for each patient */ proc transpose data=work.vasug_sample_diag out=work.trans_diags (drop= _name_ _label_) prefix=diag_; var DIAG; by patient_id; run; 19

20. Extra Example It was nice to transpose the diags but the care managers don’t know who the patient is. We join with member demographics but we don’t know how many diag columns. So, use PROC CONTENTS (with OUT= and VARNUM options) to see all the diag columns from the PROC TRANSPOSE. Looks like at-most 5 diag columns proc contents data=work.trans_diags out=work.trans_diag_var_list varnum noprint; run; 20

21. Extra Example Take advantage of the output from PROC CONTENTS to create the variable list for PROC SQL when joining to member table. Use marco variable method (technique #1) data _null_; format string_diag_var_list $500.; /* Set it large enough */ set work.trans_diag_var_list end=last; retain string_diag_var_list " "; if _n_ = 2 then string_diag_var_list = NAME; /* This will be the first one */ else string_diag_var_list = trim(string_diag_var_list)||", "||trim(NAME); if last then call symput("diag_var_list",trim(string_diag_var_list)); run; %put &DIAG_var_list; /* See what it looks like */ 21

22. Extra Example Take advantage of the output from PROC CONTENTS to create the variable list for PROC SQL when joining to member table. Use marco variable method (technique #1) data _null_; format string_diag_var_list $500.; /* Set it large enough */ set work.trans_diag_var_list end=last; retain string_diag_var_list " "; if _n_ = 2 then string_diag_var_list = NAME; /* This will be the first one */ else string_diag_var_list = trim(string_diag_var_list)||", "||trim(NAME); if last then call symput("diag_var_list",trim(string_diag_var_list)); run; %put &DIAG_var_list; /* See what it looks like */ 22

23. Extra Example Put the macro variable into the PROC SQL proc sql; create table work.Final_member_ordered_DIAGS as select distinct a.MEMBER_ID, a.MEMBER_NAME, a.AGE, a.GENDER, &DIAG_var_list from VASUG_sample_MEMBERS a left join work.trans_diags b on a.member_id=b.patient_id; quit; PROC SQL after invoking the macro substitution proc sql; create table work.Final_member_ordered_DIAGS as select distinct a.MEMBER_ID, a.MEMBER_NAME, a.AGE, a.GENDER, DIAG_1, DIAG_2, DIAG_3, DIAG_4, DIAG_5 from VASUG_sample_MEMBERS a left join work.trans_diags b on a.member_id=b.patient_id; quit; 23

24. Conclusion These two techniques saved us a significant amount of manual coding labor. This example may not seem like much coding but the idea will be useful if we have a large number of repetitive SAS statements to code in a dynamical process This idea is not limited to just making WHERE statements or SELECT/WHEN statements. The Robo-Coder can be expanded to include other SAS PROCs as well as dozen or hundreds of routine weekly/monthly reports (See my VASUG Spring 2011 presentation on the PROC REPORT example) 24

25. Questions? SAS code and sample SAS data set is available. Send me an email. Contact: Robert Williams WellPoint Inc. 4425 Corporation Ln. Virginia Beach, VA 23462 Robert.Williams@Amerigroup.com Robert.Williams@Amerigroup.com 25

26. References SAS Certification Prep Guide: Base Programming for SAS 9 Third Edition Cary, NC: SAS Institute Inc. 2011 SAS Certification Prep Guide: Advanced Programming for SAS 9 Third Edition Cary, NC: SAS Institute Inc. 2011 The Web's Free 2013 Medical Coding Reference. (http://www.icd9data.com/)http://www.icd9data.com/ Robo-SAS Coding? Yes! We can auto-generate SAS codes from a SAS data set. (http://vasug.org/about- 2/past-presentations/) 26