What does the medicine section include?

The medicine section of coding encompasses a variety of therapeutic and diagnostic services that are provided by healthcare professionals to treat patient conditions and manage their overall health. This includes a wide range of services such as evaluations, management of chronic diseases, infusion therapies, and various treatment modalities that do not fall under surgical procedures.

The inclusion of therapeutic and diagnostic services reflects the focus of this section on both the provision of care and the assessment of a patient's health status. It is crucial because these services often require specific coding to accurately capture the complexity of the care provided, which is vital for proper billing and reimbursement processes.

While preventative services are indeed important in public health and are related to the care process, they are not exclusively categorized under the medicine section as a distinct subset. Diagnostic imaging services are classified separately under radiology, given their unique nature and technical requirements. Hospital administrative services do not fall within this section since they pertain to the operational and organizational aspects of healthcare facilities rather than direct patient care. Therefore, the focus on therapeutic and diagnostic services establishes a clear understanding of what the medicine section contains.