CIC (National Alliance) study plan
CIC · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Inpatient coding guidelines, compliance, and regulatory requirements
Map the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting chapter by chapter into a personal index of inpatient-relevant sections
Apply the inpatient definition of principal diagnosis and the sequencing rules for sepsis, respiratory failure, and symptom-versus-definitive-diagnosis scenarios to 15 written vignettes
Distinguish inpatient reporting requirements from outpatient requirements on present-on-admission, provider documentation, and code-set updates
Outline the elements of a hospital compliance program and identify which documentation and coding practices trigger regulatory risk
Draft physician query wording that meets compliant clarification standards for three ambiguous inpatient scenarios
Your checkpoint
A tabbed guideline index covering all guideline chapters plus 15 written sequencing rationales scored at 80% or higher against the official guidelines
ICD-10-CM diagnosis coding for the inpatient hospital setting
Code 40 inpatient diagnoses across at least eight ICD-10-CM chapters and justify each principal diagnosis selection in writing
Apply combination-code, laterality, and seventh-character conventions without omitting required characters
Resolve coding questions for diabetes, heart failure, COPD, and CKD using guideline hierarchy and official coding advice rather than habit
Identify and correct the five most common diagnosis-coding errors in your own work using a self-review checklist
Your checkpoint
A 40-case coding log with written rationale for each principal diagnosis and a documented accuracy rate of 85% or better
ICD-10-PCS procedure coding for inpatient surgeries and interventions & ICD-10-CM diagnosis coding for the inpatient hospital setting
Memorize the seven-character ICD-10-PCS structure and the body-system and root-operation tables well enough to build codes without a lookup for common inpatient procedures
Construct a root-operation decision guide that separates excision, resection, destruction, detachment, and extraction using specimen and intent language
Code 30 operative reports spanning cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and digestive systems, selecting approach, device, and qualifier characters correctly
Cross-check that every coded procedure is supported by an operative report and linked to a documented diagnosis
Your checkpoint
A one-page root-operation decision guide plus 30 coded procedures with a rationale line for each character choice, at 80% or better
MS-DRG assignment, sequencing rules, and reimbursement methodologies & ICD-10-PCS procedure coding for inpatient surgeries and interventions
Trace the MS-DRG assignment path from principal diagnosis to major diagnostic category to complication tier for 20 surgical and medical cases
Identify the surgical hierarchy rules that determine which procedure drives DRG assignment when multiple procedures are performed
Classify 60 secondary diagnoses as CC, MCC, or non-CC using the DRG definitions reference and flag diagnoses excluded by principal-diagnosis pairing
Sequence principal and secondary procedures to maximize correct DRG capture without violating reporting rules
Your checkpoint
A 20-case DRG assignment worksheet showing MDC, complication tier, and final DRG with a written justification for each, at 80% or better
MS-DRG assignment, sequencing rules, and reimbursement methodologies
Quantify the reimbursement effect of a missed MCC by recalculating relative weight and expected payment on five sample cases
Apply present-on-admission and hospital-acquired-condition logic to determine when a documented diagnosis is reportable and payable
Evaluate how an unanswered or leading physician query changes DRG assignment and documentation integrity
Compare severity-of-illness and risk-of-mortality capture against documented clinical indicators in ten records
Your checkpoint
A five-case reimbursement impact analysis showing original DRG, revised DRG, relative weight change, and the query that would have closed the gap
Clinical and procedural knowledge, documentation review, auditing, and quality outcomes & Inpatient coding guidelines, compliance, and regulatory requirements
Build reusable query templates for clinical indicators, conflicting documentation, and unspecified diagnoses that meet compliant clarification standards
Perform a mock audit of ten inpatient records, scoring diagnosis and procedure accuracy separately from DRG accuracy
Compose audit findings that separate coding errors, documentation gaps, and systemic risk with recommended corrective actions
Connect audit results to quality reporting and outcome measures affected by code capture
Your checkpoint
A written mock audit report covering ten records with error classification, root cause, and a corrective action plan
Inpatient coding guidelines, compliance, and regulatory requirements & ICD-10-CM diagnosis coding for the inpatient hospital setting & ICD-10-PCS procedure coding for inpatient surgeries and interventions & MS-DRG assignment, sequencing rules, and reimbursement methodologies & Clinical and procedural knowledge, documentation review, auditing, and quality outcomes
Complete two full-length timed practice exams under exam conditions without reference interruptions
Analyze every missed item to classify the failure as knowledge gap, guideline misapplication, or careless reading
Re-code all missed cases from scratch and verify the corrected answer against the official guidelines or procedure tables
Drill the fifteen most frequently missed concept pairs until you can state the distinguishing rule from memory
Your checkpoint
An error analysis sheet listing at least ten recurring error patterns with a specific remediation action for each
ICD-10-CM diagnosis coding for the inpatient hospital setting & ICD-10-PCS procedure coding for inpatient surgeries and interventions & MS-DRG assignment, sequencing rules, and reimbursement methodologies
Re-drill your two lowest-scoring domains with 50 targeted cases each, prioritizing volume over new content
Finalize coding manual tabs and internal cross-references so any guideline section is reachable in under thirty seconds
Simulate exam pacing across a 40-question block to confirm you finish with review time remaining
Review compliance, ethical coding, and query-integrity standards one final time as exam-day checklist items
Your checkpoint
A final readiness scorecard showing 85% or higher on a full timed practice exam and completed manual tabs for all five domains
Milestones
Week 2: Self-scored diagnosis coding accuracy of 85% or better on the 40-case log, with every principal diagnosis justification written out
Week 4: Correctly assign full MS-DRG paths on at least 16 of 20 cases, including complication tier and surgical hierarchy reasoning
Week 6: Complete and self-grade a ten-record mock audit that separates coding error from documentation gap in every finding
Week 8: Score 85% or higher on a full-length timed practice exam and confirm no domain falls below 75%