Revenue Cycle

Prepare for POA implementation by following other states' examples

Patient Access Weekly Advisor, August 22, 2007

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One way to prepare for the present-on-admission (POA) indicator is to contact hospitals in states that have already required it. Review your documentation and use the following edits that hospitals in California must adhere to as a guide to ensure compliance, says Candace Diamond, manager of the patient data section of the healthcare information division of the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development in Sacramento, CA:

  • Ensure that the POA is not blank (note that in some instances, the diagnosis code may be on the POA-exempt list, in which case you would leave this field blank)
  • Ensure that the POA contains one of the required indicators-"Y" for yes, "N" for no, "U" for unknown, or "W" for clinically undetermined (some states, such as California, only require providers to report three out of the four nationally required indicators)
  • Ensure that the principal condition POA is "yes" for a newborn diagnosis
  • Ensure that the "other condition" POA is "yes" for delivery outcome diagnosis codes
  • Ensure that the percentage of records reported with "no" or "uncertain" is greater than 10% of the total number of all principal diagnosis indicators reported
  • Ensure that the percentage of "other diagnosis" conditions not POA or those that are "uncertain" is greater than 20% of the total number of all other diagnosis indicators reported



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