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Present-on-admission coding significantly enhances TKA outcome data
Present-on-admission coding can significantly enhance the value of Medicare data for evaluating total knee arthroplasty outcomes, according to study results.
Using Medicare Part A data from 2008 to 2009, researchers examined present-on-admission (POA) coding for pulmonary embolism, hemorrhage/hematoma and infection for primary and revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
The researchers found that 60% to 75% of complications had complete POA coding information; the percentages of complication information coded during admission ranged from 6.4% for pulmonary embolism with primary TKA to 68.8% for infection with revision TKA.
For both primary and revision TKA, POA indicators appeared to add significant information, particularly for surgical site infections, according to the researchers.
Disclosure: Bozic is a board member for the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, the American Joint Replacement Registry, COA, the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation and of the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center.