Variable: CLM_POA_IND_SW21
Claim Diagnosis Code XXI Diagnosis Present on Admission (POA) Indicator Code
Description
The present on admission (POA) indicator code associated with the diagnosis codes (principal and secondary). In response to the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, CMS began to distinguish between hospitalization diagnoses that occurred prior to versus during the admission. The objective was to eventually not pay hospitals more if the patient acquired a condition (e.g., infection) during the admission. This present on admission (POA) field is used to indicate whether the diagnosis was present on admission. Medicare claims did not indicate whether a diagnosis was POA until 2011.
Comment
Prior to Version 'J', the POA indicators were stored in a 10-byte field in the fixed portion of the claim. The field was named: CLM_POA_IND_CD. Medicare claims did not indicate whether a diagnosis was POA until 2011. The present on admission indicators for the diagnosis E codes are stored in the present on admission diagnosis E trailer.
Values
This variable is coded, and will contain one of the following values.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| Y | Diagnosis was present at the time of admission (POA) |
| N | Diagnosis was not present at the time of admission |
| U | Documentation is insufficient to determine if condition was present on admission |
| W | Provider is unable to clinically determine whether condition was present on admission |
| 1 | Unreported/not used - exempt from POA reporting - this code is the equivalent code of a blank, however, it was determined that blanks were undesirable when submitting the data |
| Z | Denotes the end of the POA indicators |
| X | Denotes the end of the POA indicators in special data processing situations that may be identified by CMS in the future |
Other Info
Some additional information on this variable:
- Short Name: CLM_POA_IND_SW21
- Long Name: CLM_POA_IND_SW21
- Type: CHAR
- Length: 1
- Source: NCH
- Value Format: