POA ASSIGNMENT
For each number, identify the principal diagnosis, secondary diagnoses. For each
assign, the appropriate POA indicator.
Notes from the Instructor: Remember to review your UHDDS guidelines prior to
starting this assignment.
Based on the POA guidelines, assign the appropriate POA indicator for the following.
Where indicated, identify the principal and secondary diagnoses with any MCCs or CCs.
1) A patient is admitted with massive gastrointestinal bleeding. The physician
documents that the GI bleed is from a gastric ulcer. EGD with biopsy shows
adenocarcinoma of the stomach.
Principal diagnosis: ______________________________ POA indicator _____
Secondary diagnoses: ___________________________ POA indicator ______
___________________________ POA indicator ______
2) The attending physician has documented acute respiratory failure as a final diagnosis
on the discharge summary. The patient presented to the emergency department with a
chief complaint of SOB. Emergency department record documents a respiratory rate of
30 and describes the present illness as follows: “His initial ABG showed PO2 of 58,
which improved to 79 after he was placed on 100% oxygen.”
Impression: acute respiratory insufficiency due to exacerbation of bronchitis and a
treatment plan of: BIPAP, 02 nebulizer treatment, IV antibiotic.
The first progress note by the attending physician states acute respiratory failure.
Principal diagnosis: ______________________________ POA indicator _____
Secondary diagnoses: ___________________________ POA indicator ______
___________________________ POA indicator ______
3) A patient is admitted to the hospital for severe abdominal pain, found to be secondary
to appendicitis. Laparoscopic appendectomy is performed. Three days after surgery, the
patient develops fever, tachycardia, leukocytosis, and hypotension subsequently
diagnosed as sepsis.
Principal diagnosis: ______________________________ POA indicator _____
Secondary diagnoses: ___________________________ POA indicator ______
___________________________ POA indicator ______
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POA ASSIGNMENT
4) A 27-week-old infant is born by cesarean section. The baby weighs 945 grams. The
baby’s lungs are immature, and the baby develops respiratory distress syndrome,
requiring a 25-day hospital stay in NICU. Discharge diagnoses: extreme immaturity, with
27- week gestation, with respiratory distress syndrome, delivered by cesarean section.
Principal diagnosis: ______________________________ POA indicator _____
Secondary diagnoses: ___________________________ POA indicator ______
___________________________ POA indicator ______
5) A patient was admitted to the hospital with an admitting diagnosis of acute hip pain.
There was no history of trauma; she stated that she had simple stood up from her chair,
immediately experienced acute pain in the left leg, and fallen back into the chair. She
has had osteoporosis for several years and is also a known diabetic. An X-ray revealed
a fracture of the lower third of the shaft of the femur. A routine preoperative chest X-ray
showed a few strands of atelectasis and a small cloudy area that may have represented
mild pleural effusion. A cast was applied to the leg to immobilize the fracture. Her blood
sugars were monitored and remained normal throughout the stay. The physician
documented spontaneous fracture secondary to osteoporosis.
Principal diagnosis: ______________________________ POA indicator _____
Secondary diagnoses: ___________________________ POA indicator ______
___________________________ POA indicator ______
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