A patient admitted for pneumococcal pneumonia with chronic asthma and diabetes present at the time of admission has which POA indicator for pneumonia?

The appropriate POA (Present on Admission) indicator for the patient with pneumococcal pneumonia, given their chronic asthma and diabetes, is B, which signifies that the condition was present at the time of inpatient admission.

In this scenario, the patient has a history of respiratory issues due to chronic asthma and is also diabetic, which could compromise their immune response. Therefore, when the patient is admitted with pneumococcal pneumonia, it indicates that this condition existed prior to admission. The presence of pneumonia is directly associated with the patient's existing chronic conditions, reinforcing the conclusion that it was not newly acquired during the hospital stay.

Other choices reflect circumstances that do not apply in this case. For example, the "U" indicator is used when documentation is insufficient to determine the status of the condition, which isn't the case here since the pneumonia is clearly documented as an existing issue. The "N" indicator would suggest that the pneumonia was not present upon admission, which contradicts the details provided. Lastly, the "W" option is designated for situations where the provider cannot determine the presence of the condition, which also does not apply since the admission diagnosis of pneumonia is clear and related to the patient’s known chronic issues.