Planning for Present on Admission

Practice guidelines for managing health information

CHICAGO, November 6, 2007 —Hospitals are now required to report secondary diagnoses that are present on admission (POA), effective since October 1, 2007. The POA data is used to accurately identify pre-existing conditions and situations that develop once a patient is admitted, according to an article in the November/December issue of the Journal of AHIMA.

Aimed at improving patient care, the POA reporting standards will be implemented in three phases with completion in April 2008. Some of the potential benefits of POA reporting include a reduction in the number of false positives in quality assessment, improvements in patient safety and care, and an increase in validity of hospital report cards.

The Journal article explains that in order for an organization to support the new measures, each facility should establish new policies and procedures that support timely, accurate and complete POA indicator assignments. Also provided is a summary of POA functions as well as a checklist to help organizations prepare for POA reporting.

Read the complete article in the November/December issue of the Journal of AHIMA or online at www.ahima.org.

About AHIMA

AHIMA is the leading professional Association representing more than 51,000 specially educated and certified health information management professionals working throughout the healthcare industry.  HIM professionals serve healthcare and the public by managing, analyzing, and utilizing data vital for health system management.