CCS (Customs & Trade Compliance Certifications) study plan

Map every ICD-10-CM chapter guideline and convention (Excludes1 vs Excludes2, laterality, 7th character, sequela) into a one-page-per-chapter reference sheet

Code 40 operative reports and inpatient scenarios from scratch, then audit each against the official guidelines and record the reason for every miss

Drill sequencing rules for principal diagnosis, principal procedure, and admission-vs-facility coding until you can state them without notes

Build a personal error log that classifies mistakes as guideline knowledge, look-up speed, or documentation interpretation

Apply CPT Evaluation and Management 2021+ office/outpatient rules, including medical decision making and time-based selection, to 25 documented encounters

Code 25 surgical and procedural cases spanning integumentary, musculoskeletal, and digestive systems, verifying bundling edits and modifier use

Interpret NCCI edits, modifier 25, 59, and X{EPSU} in written rationales for each modifier decision

Rehearse outpatient facility vs physician coding differences on the same 10 cases to expose setting-specific rules

Code 20 inpatient cases end-to-end using MS-DRG logic, verifying CC/MCC impact and principal diagnosis selection

Explain the structure and purpose of the ICD-10-PCS axes (section, body system, root operation, body part, approach, device, qualifier) and build a root-operation quick-reference

Compare AHIMA and ACDIS ethical coding standards and identify how query practice differs between the two professional bodies

Describe the data elements and definitions in the legal health record and how documentation standards feed coded data

Diagram the flow of data from source documentation through coding, abstraction, and reporting, naming each standard applied at each step

Explain the roles of HIPAA, the HITECH Act, and 42 CFR Part 2 in governing use and disclosure of coded data

Outline an information governance framework covering data stewardship, retention, and destruction schedules for a mid-size hospital

Distinguish data quality dimensions (accuracy, completeness, timeliness, consistency) and give a coding-specific example of each

Trace a claim from charge capture through coding, claim scrub, payer adjudication, and remittance, identifying where coding errors create denials

Analyze 15 denial scenarios and write the corrective action and prevention control for each

Summarize the OIG compliance program seven elements and apply them to a coding audit plan

Explain the impact of value-based payment models and risk adjustment (HCC) on coding accuracy expectations

Audit 20 previously coded records against official guidelines, scoring accuracy and writing compliant physician queries for each discrepancy

Apply query best practices (clinical indicators, non-leading language, multiple-choice format) and rewrite five poorly worded queries

Review the False Claims Act, Anti-Kickback Statute, and Stark Law and explain how each shapes coding and billing conduct

Re-drill the two weakest ICD-10-CM and CPT topic areas identified in your error log from weeks 1-3

Compute and interpret core coding metrics: first-pass accuracy, query rate, DRG mismatch rate, and case mix index

Build a small dashboard or spreadsheet that visualizes those metrics from a sample dataset and state one action each metric would trigger

Draft a 10-minute briefing for a department manager on a coding quality issue, including recommendation and expected impact

Analyze two ethics scenarios involving pressure to upcode and describe the compliant response and escalation path

Complete two full-length timed practice exams under test conditions and score each by domain to expose residual gaps

Re-code every missed item from both exams and confirm understanding of the governing rule for each

Review condensed notes for domains 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8 in two spaced sessions to lock in retention

Finalize a one-page exam-day strategy covering time allocation, item-flagging, and guideline look-up priorities