A hospital-acquired urinary tract infection is first documented on hospital day 4, with no clinical indication it was present on admission. Which POA indicator should be assigned?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Day-four new UTI with nothing pointing to it on arrival? That's POA N—hospital-onset, not baggage from home. You still code the infection; you just mark that it wasn't there at the front door.
Full Explanation
Conditions that develop after admission are reported with POA N when they were not present on admission. Timing documentation showing onset on day 4 without admission indicators supports POA N. POA Y would incorrectly imply community onset. Diagnosis codes are still assigned when clinically significant; POA N is not a reason to omit the code.