What do ICD-10 codes primarily describe?

ICD-10 codes are specifically designed to describe medical diagnoses and conditions. The system categorizes a wide range of health-related issues, allowing healthcare providers to accurately document a patient's health status and the reasons for their encounters within the healthcare system. This coding helps in standardizing the classification of diseases, which is critical for clinical, billing, and epidemiological purposes.

These codes facilitate effective communication among healthcare professionals and institutions, ensuring clear understanding of the diagnosis conveyed. By using ICD-10 codes, coders can depict complex medical conditions with greater specificity, which enhances the quality of patient care and data analysis.

Other choices represent different aspects of healthcare documentation. Medical treatments and procedures fall under the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding system, while patient demographics and health history are typically recorded in electronic health records but not classified under ICD-10 codes. Prescription medications and dosages pertain to pharmaceutical coding and billing, which is separate from what ICD-10 codes are meant to address.