ACA CCS study guide
ACA CCS · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The ACA Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) is a professional credential for people who assign diagnosis and procedure codes from patient records and want their competence recognized by an independent certification body. It suits working coders, coding students finishing a formal program, and health information staff moving from clerical or billing roles into coding. The ACA CCS study guide has 8 sections and about 2,193 words.
01Coding Fundamentals and Professional Standards
The fundamentals domain rewards a clear mental model of the coding workflow rather than memorized trivia. Know the difference between ICD-10-CM (diagnoses, inpatient and outpatient), ICD-10-PCS (inpatient procedures only), CPT (outpatient procedures and services), and HCPCS Level II (supplies, drugs, and services CPT does not cover).
284 words, about 1 min02Medical Terminology, Anatomy, and Pathophysiology
Accurate coding depends on correctly parsing the medical record. Candidates must be fluent in word roots, prefixes, and suffixes (e.g., -ectomy = removal, -otomy = incision, -plasty = repair, -scopy = viewing).
269 words, about 1 min03ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Coding
ICD-10-CM uses a tabular list and an alphabetic index , with the index as the entry point and the tabular list as verification. Candidates must apply the official guidelines in order: conventions, general guidelines, and chapter-specific guidelines.
304 words, about 2 min04ICD-10-PCS Procedure Coding
ICD-10-PCS is a seven-character system used for inpatient procedures only . Each character has a defined meaning, and the code is built from a root operation table.
274 words, about 1 min05CPT and HCPCS Level II Coding
CPT codes describe outpatient procedures and services and are organized into six sections: Evaluation and Management (E/M), Anesthesia, Surgery, Radiology, Pathology and Laboratory, and Medicine. HCPCS Level II codes (beginning with a letter) cover supplies, drugs, durable medical equipment, and services not in CPT.
285 words, about 1 min06Revenue Cycle Management and Reimbursement
Revenue cycle management (RCM) spans pre-service, service, and post-service activities: scheduling, registration, eligibility verification, coding, charge capture, claim submission, and denial management. Candidates must understand charge capture accuracy, clean claim rates, and the impact of coding errors on reimbursement.
250 words, about 1 min07Compliance, Ethics, and Regulatory Requirements
Candidates must know the major laws affecting coding and billing: HIPAA (privacy and security of PHI), False Claims Act (liability for knowingly submitting false claims), Anti-Kickback Statute , Stark Law (physician self-referral), and Civil Monetary Penalties Law . Understand the role of OIG and CMS in enforcement and the importance of compliance programs .
271 words, about 1 min08Health Information Management and Data Quality
Health information management ensures the accuracy, completeness, and security of health records. Candidates must understand the medical record as a legal document, documentation standards , and the release of information (ROI) process.
256 words, about 1 min