What does the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) standardize?

The Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) is designed to standardize coding for various healthcare services and procedures. It primarily focuses on categorizing outpatient procedures, which includes a wide range of services provided to patients that do not require an overnight stay in a healthcare facility.

HCPCS Level I consists of the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes developed by the American Medical Association and is used for billing medical services and procedures by healthcare providers in outpatient settings. Level II of HCPCS provides codes for products, supplies, and services not included in CPT, such as ambulance services and durable medical equipment.

Given this context, the focus on outpatient procedures captures the breadth of services coded under HCPCS, making it the correct choice. Other options, like inpatient procedures and laboratory tests, are covered under different coding systems (such as ICD-10 for inpatient diagnoses and laboratory-specific codes) but do not fall under the central standardization purpose of HCPCS. Similarly, while prescription drugs are an important aspect of healthcare coding, they are predominantly covered under different coding frameworks, not specifically HCPCS.