Which of the following items is considered an administrative cost and not part of medical costs?

Administrative costs are expenses that are not directly tied to providing medical care but are necessary for the organization's operations. Marketing expenses fall into this category because they involve promoting the services of a healthcare organization to attract patients or clients, rather than delivering actual medical treatment or services.

In a healthcare context, administrative costs typically include activities that support the functioning of the organization as a whole but do not involve the provision of direct clinical services to patients. While options like hospital discharge planning, claims adjudication expenses, and medication compliance programs relate directly to patient care or healthcare operations, marketing is focused on overall outreach and business development strategies.

Thus, marketing expenses are distinctly recognized as administrative costs because they do not contribute to the direct provision of healthcare services or the related medical expenses involved in patient treatment.