topic Re: handling trailing blanks when using user-defined formats and informats in SAS Procedures

handling trailing blanks when using user-defined formats and informats

tish — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:46:15 GMT

I have been using PROC FORMAT to define both formats and informats for use with ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes. The diagnosis codes that I am using are left aligned in 6 character variables with implied decimal points. Since billable codes can range from 3 digits to 5 digits, there is always at least one trailing blank.

(1) How does PROC FORMAT handle trailing blanks? When I use a VALUE or INVALUE statement to define a format or informat, must I include the trailing blanks? The following code, for example, shows a format definition that uses 5 characters to map one diagnostic category:

value $rcomfmt

"39891",

"4280 "-"4289 " = "CHF" /* Congestive heart failure */

Can I assume that this SAS format will match my data where, say, dx1="39891 "? How about where dx1="4281 "?

Here is another VALUE statement using a range:

value $psychfmt

"2950 "-"29595 " = "Schizophrenia"

Can I assume that this SAS format will match my data where, say, dx1="29500 "?

(2) Is it more efficient to define a format (or informat) with a range or a series of values equaling an output value such as:

invalue ACCPD2D /* acute bronchitis */

'4660 ', /* ACUTE BRONCHITIS */

'490 ' /* BRONCHITIS NOS */ = 1

other = 0 ;

Or is this more efficient? (Yes, here it's a format, but in a different program I turned it into an informat because of the way I wanted to use it.)

value $ACCPD2D

'4660 ' = 1 /* ACUTE BRONCHITIS */

'490 ' = 1 /* BRONCHITIS NOS */

other = 0 ;

Please note that while my examples have only a few codes per category, my formats/informats can have many codes per category and there are many categories. I'm using the formats or informats as table lookups.

Thank you in advance for your ideas! I have spent much too much time hunting through documentation to no avail.

Re: handling trailing blanks when using user-defined formats and informats

ballardw — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:29:00 GMT

My experience with custom formats is the values are compared and for Format purposes 'abcd ' is treated the same as 'abcd'

unless the blank is a more esoteric non-printing character than a simple space or two.

I suspect there is no difference in efficiency. If use the CNTLOUT option to see what is generated there's not any difference unlike ranges of numerics.

Re: handling trailing blanks when using user-defined formats and informats

Ksharp — Sat, 11 May 2013 02:33:22 GMT

And Don't forget HashTable.

Re: handling trailing blanks when using user-defined formats and informats

Ron_MacroMaven — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 20:30:14 GMT

This paper is for the R community

Introducing icd9: working with ICD-9 codes and comorbidities in R.

Jack O. Wasey.

July 21, 2014

http://www.cran.r-project.org/web/packages/icd9/vignettes/icd9.pdf

here is the list of codes:

https://www.section111.cms.hhs.gov/MRA/help/ICD9_DX_Codes.txt

I agree with ballardw:

trailing blanks are not going to change the way the format chooses.

Take a look at the list and search for a $char4. value like 4280

https://www.section111.cms.hhs.gov/MRA/help/ICD9_DX_Codes.txt

Your Q is whethere '4280 ' - '4290 ', apparently a $char5. value

is going to return '42810' - '42899',

I do not think so

but that is an opinion.

Testing ought to confirm that idea.

Ron Fehd macro maven