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Note from Hugh

Medicare Weekly Update, May 22, 2007

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In my "Note from Hugh" last week, I discussed the implementation schedule for the Present On Admission (POA) reporting requirement. I noted that in CMS's most recent POA transmittal, CMS stated that hospitals are going to be required to start reporting POA codes for discharges on or after October 1, 2007. Subsequently, a reader informed me that her hospital had been told informally by CMS that CMS was not going to require hospitals start using POA codes until January 1, 2008. In order to investigate this discrepancy, I called Pat Brooks at CMS. Ms. Brooks is one of the people at CMS working on the POA implementation.

Ms. Brooks explained that while Congress is requiring CMS to start using POA codes on October 1, 2007, CMS is not making POA code reporting mandatory for hospitals until January 1, 2008 (although CMS is encouraging hospitals to start using POA codes as of October 1, 2007). Ms. Brooks indicated that she views October through December of this year as a "grace period."

In summary, per Ms. Brooks, hospitals must begin reporting POA codes for discharges on or after January 1, 2008.

However, as always, hospitals should confirm this information with their local FI or MAC.

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