What does POA stand for in CDI terminology?

• A. Present on Admission
• B. Point of Arrival
• C. Procedure on Admission
• D. Postoperative assessment

Answer: (A)

POA stands for Present on Admission. In CDI, this flag shows whether a diagnosis was already present when the patient arrived at the hospital. If a condition is present on admission, it existed at the time of arrival; if not, it may have developed after admission and could be considered a hospital-acquired condition or an in-hospital complication. This distinction guides accurate coding, influences DRG assignment and severity/risk adjustment, and affects quality reporting. The other options don’t reflect this admission-status concept in CDI.