Title: Module 16 POA
Course: Introduction to Coding and Classification Systems > Section: Module 16: Present On Admission (POA)

Introduction

Present on Admission (POA) indicators are required for Medicare claims reporting . This is located in Appendix A of your textbook. The POA indicator provides information on whether a diagnosis was present on admission to the hospital. It is also important for research, medicolegal and reimbursement issues. The POA indicator should be reported for principal and secondary diagnosis, and External cause of injury codes. It is used to establish designation of pre-existing conditions and complications for data analysis. Inpatient coders must know how to apply the POA indicators to all Medicare cases.

Course Outcomes

- Interprets medical documentation to assign accurate codes for reimbursement of health care services. (4)
- Applies the official coding guidelines to the coding of medical diagnosis for all body systems (circulatory, respiratory, musculoskeletal, urinary, blood-forming organs, reproductive, gastrointestinal, etc.) (5)
- Demonstrates thorough understanding of selection of the principal diagnosis and any secondary diagnosis associated with the episode of care or hospital admission. (6)
- Demonstrates thorough understanding of the proper sequencing of diagnosis codes for maximum reimbursement of the health care services provided. (7)

Objectives

- Understand the purpose of the Present on Admission (POA) indicator
- Know when and how to report the POA
- Assign POA indicators for inpatient cases.

Readings and Resources

- Read Appendix A and complete the 2 exercises.
- Review the ICD-10-CM Official Coding Guidelines for Coding and Reporting which show how to apply the POA indicator to the final set of diagnosis codes already selected.
- Review and complete any areas this week and take TEST 15

Congratulations! You have completed this course!

Discussion

The above link takes you to the discussion page.  Please follow the directions and post your response.

Test
The above link takes you to the test page. You have one hour to complete this open book exam. You also have the opportunity to retake the exam if you feel you can improve your score after further study.