CCA (CNCF) study guide
CCA · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Certified Coding Associate (CCA) is AHIMA's entry-level health information credential. It is designed for people who are moving into inpatient or outpatient coding and want a credential that signals baseline competence before they have years of production experience. The CCA study guide has 5 sections and about 2,237 words.
01Coding Knowledge and Skills
Coding Knowledge and Skills is the largest content area on the CCA exam. The questions test whether you can select the right code, sequence it correctly, and justify the choice from the documentation using ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, CPT, and HCPCS Level II - not whether you have memorized a code book.
503 words, about 3 min02Data Content, Structure, and Standards
This domain tests the raw material of health information: the data elements collected, the data sets that standardize them, the characteristics that make data trustworthy, and the terminologies and exchange standards that move data between systems. A data element is the smallest named unit of data with a defined meaning; a data dictionary specifies its format, allowed values, and source.
473 words, about 2 min03Information Governance
Information Governance tests your understanding of how health information is controlled across its lifecycle: who may see it, how it is protected, how long it is kept, and how release is authorized and documented. AHIMA's eight information governance principles are accountability, transparency, integrity, protection, compliance, availability, retention, and disposition.
432 words, about 2 min04Revenue Cycle Management
Revenue Cycle Management tests how a patient encounter becomes a paid claim, and where the coder sits in that flow. Expect questions on the sequence of front-end and back-end steps, payment methodologies, denials, and the metrics used to manage accounts receivable.
405 words, about 2 min05Compliance and Regulatory
Compliance and Regulatory tests the legal frame around coding: fraud and abuse statutes, HIPAA obligations, the structure of an effective compliance program, and how a coding professional responds to audits and to pressure to bill inaccurately. False Claims Act: liability attaches when a person knowingly submits a false claim.
424 words, about 2 min