CDPMA study plan
CDPMA · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Patient and business records management
Map the full patient record lifecycle from registration through retention and destruction, and label each stage with the record type it produces
Draft a one-page checklist of required elements for a complete patient record in your practice setting
Identify five common documentation gaps that create legal or reimbursement risk and write the corrective action for each
Build a personal glossary of 20 records-management terms with a plain-language definition for each
Your checkpoint
A one-page patient record completeness checklist plus a 20-term glossary, both written from memory and then corrected against source material
Patient and business records management
Sequence the steps for releasing records under a valid authorization, including verification, copying, fees, and logging
Distinguish which record categories have special protection and state who may access each without consent
Write the retention and destruction rules for adults, minors, and deceased patients into a single reference table
Practice responding to two written record-release scenarios in under 10 minutes each
Your checkpoint
A records release and retention reference table covering at least six record categories, self-quizzed to 90 percent accuracy
Practice administration and management
Outline the administrative workflow for a new patient from first contact to first appointment, naming the staff role responsible at each step
Compare scheduling templates for a single-provider and multi-provider practice and justify which fits a given scenario
List the elements of a written office policy manual and draft two short policies end to end
Identify three patient-flow bottlenecks and propose a measurable fix for each
Your checkpoint
A two-policy draft (scheduling and patient intake) plus a labeled workflow diagram of the new-patient process
Practice administration and management & Financial management and reimbursement
Explain how front-office administrative decisions drive claim accuracy, using three concrete cause-and-effect examples
Calculate a patient's estimated out-of-pocket responsibility from deductible, coinsurance, and copay inputs
Rehearse verifying eligibility and benefits for two payer types and note the questions that must be asked every time
Draft a pre-visit financial clearance script staff can follow
Your checkpoint
A timed 15-question mixed practice set on administration and reimbursement, scored and reviewed with written notes on every miss
Financial management and reimbursement
Trace a claim from charge capture to remittance and name the failure point at each stage
Decode a sample remittance advice line by line, classifying each adjustment as contractual, patient responsibility, or denial
Categorize the top ten denial reasons and write the first corrective action for each
Draft an appeal letter for one denied claim using only the facts given in a written scenario
Your checkpoint
A completed claim-flow map with denial categories annotated, plus one full appeal letter drafted under time pressure
Financial management and reimbursement & Communication and personnel management
Build a monthly financial summary from given revenue, adjustment, and collection figures and interpret the result
Explain how staff communication failures show up as financial losses, with two practice examples
Write a corrective-feedback conversation plan for a staff performance issue, including opening, facts, expectation, and follow-up
Identify the legal boundaries on discussing patient financial and clinical information with staff and patients
Your checkpoint
A one-page financial summary with three written conclusions, plus a role-play script for a corrective conversation reviewed against a self-made checklist
Communication and personnel management
Draft a job description and a three-question behavioral interview guide for one front-office role
Design a 30-day onboarding sequence with weekly checkpoints and a competency sign-off
Outline a staff meeting agenda that covers performance data, patient experience, and compliance reminders in 30 minutes
Describe how to handle a patient complaint from intake through resolution and documentation
Your checkpoint
A hiring and onboarding packet for one role, including job description, interview questions, and a 30-day checklist
Practice administration and management & Patient and business records management & Financial management and reimbursement & Communication and personnel management
Complete two full-length timed practice exams and log every missed item by domain
Re-study only the two weakest domains using your own notes and deliverables from earlier weeks
Recite key rules for records release, retention, claim flow, and staff communication without notes
Build a one-page exam-day reference sheet of facts you repeatedly missed
Your checkpoint
A scored results log across both practice exams showing domain-level accuracy, plus a final one-page reference sheet
Milestones
Week 2: Can state records release requirements and retention rules for at least six record categories without notes, scoring 90 percent or higher on a self-made quiz
Week 4: Scores 80 percent or higher on the timed 15-question administration and reimbursement set and has written a correction note for every missed item
Week 6: Produces a correct financial summary from raw figures and delivers a corrective-conversation role-play that meets all four checklist elements
Week 8: Averages 80 percent or higher across two full-length timed practice exams with no single domain below 70 percent