Present on Admission best practice is illustrated by which example?

• A. A condition that developed during hospitalization.
• B. A condition not coded.
• C. A condition present at admission; e.g., preexisting diabetes documented as POA = Y.
• D. A wrong code.

Answer: (C)

The key idea is using the Present On Admission (POA) indicator to distinguish conditions a patient already had when they were admitted from those that developed during the hospital stay. The best illustration is a condition present at admission, such as preexisting diabetes documented with POA = Y. This shows the condition existed before admission, so it should be captured as a preexisting problem rather than as a hospital-acquired issue, which affects risk adjustment, billing, and quality reporting.

Why this fits best: marking a preexisting condition as POA = Y ensures accurate classification for outcomes, DRG assignment, and performance metrics, helping to avoid mislabeling chronic issues as hospital-acquired.

Why the other scenarios don’t demonstrate POA best practice: a condition that developed during hospitalization would reflect a hospital-acquired condition and would not be indicated as POA = Y at admission; a condition not coded isn’t showing any POA information; and a wrong code is an error in coding entirely, not a demonstration of POA usage.