CRC (Court Reporting Certifications) study plan
CRC · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Core risk adjustment knowledge (ICD-10-CM application, HCCs and other risk adjustment models, risk adjustment payment systems such as Medicare Advantage and ACA)
Explain how HCC hierarchies, model versions (V24 vs V28), and coefficient tables convert diagnosis codes into a risk score, in your own written summary
Map the full ICD-10-CM chapter structure and identify which chapters feed risk adjustment models most heavily
Distinguish Medicare Advantage risk adjustment (HCC) from ACA risk adjustment (HHS-HCC) and from commercial/Medicaid models by payment mechanics and populations
Trace how a single chronic diagnosis flows from documentation to code to HCC to payment year
Your checkpoint
A one-page annotated diagram of the diagnosis-to-payment pipeline plus a 20-term glossary written in your own words
Core risk adjustment knowledge (ICD-10-CM application, HCCs and other risk adjustment models, risk adjustment payment systems such as Medicare Advantage and ACA) & Documentation and compliance (specificity and accuracy in chronic condition coding, documentation gaps, CMS and other governing body compliance standards)
Apply ICD-10-CM coding conventions (Excludes1 vs Excludes2, code first, use additional code) to risk-adjustable diagnoses
Identify which chronic conditions are HCC-relevant versus payment-neutral and justify each classification
Explain the role of MEAT criteria (Monitor, Evaluate, Assess, Treat) in supporting a reported diagnosis
Recognize documentation patterns that fail to support a captured HCC
Your checkpoint
A 25-question self-authored quiz on coding conventions and HCC relevance, with cited rationales for each answer
Documentation and compliance (specificity and accuracy in chronic condition coding, documentation gaps, CMS and other governing body compliance standards)
Summarize CMS documentation and compliance standards relevant to risk adjustment, including signature, date, and provider-type requirements
Differentiate documentation gaps (missing support) from coding errors (wrong code) from unsupported diagnoses
Draft compliant physician query language for an ambiguous chronic condition
Explain the audit and RADV implications of undocumented or unsupported diagnoses
Your checkpoint
Three sample compliant queries plus a one-page gap-versus-error decision guide
Documentation and compliance (specificity and accuracy in chronic condition coding, documentation gaps, CMS and other governing body compliance standards) & Chronic and complex conditions (diabetes, COPD, cancer, cardiovascular disease, renal disease; sequencing and linking comorbidities; long-term management)
Code diabetes cases with correct type, complications, and combination-code sequencing
Link diabetic manifestations (retinopathy, neuropathy, CKD) to the underlying diabetes using ICD-10-CM linking conventions
Distinguish insulin and oral hypoglycemic long-term use codes and when to assign them
Identify documentation gaps that cause a diabetes case to miss a higher-weighted HCC
Your checkpoint
A coded case set of eight diabetes scenarios with full code assignment, sequencing rationale, and a flagged gap list
Chronic and complex conditions (diabetes, COPD, cancer, cardiovascular disease, renal disease; sequencing and linking comorbidities; long-term management)
Sequence COPD, asthma, and respiratory failure codes correctly, including acute exacerbation
Apply cardiovascular coding for heart failure (systolic vs diastolic, acute vs chronic) and hypertensive heart disease
Apply CKD staging codes and link renal disease to underlying diabetes or hypertension
Sequence cancer and malignancy codes, including history-of versus active malignancy and anemia in neoplasm
Identify which of these conditions carry the largest risk-score impact and why
Your checkpoint
A condition-by-condition reference sheet covering sequencing rules, linking rules, and HCC weight impact for all four condition families
Chronic and complex conditions (diabetes, COPD, cancer, cardiovascular disease, renal disease; sequencing and linking comorbidities; long-term management) & Auditing and data accuracy (risk score capture, chart reviews confirming documentation supports reported HCCs, quality reporting and value-based initiatives)
Perform a mock chart review on ten provided-style scenarios and confirm whether documentation supports each reported HCC
Calculate a simplified risk score from a diagnosis list and compare it to a reported score to spot capture gaps
Identify suspect conditions from medication and lab clues that were not coded
Document findings using audit-standard language (finding, evidence, recommendation)
Your checkpoint
A completed ten-chart mock audit workbook with per-chart findings and a summary of missed and unsupported HCCs
Auditing and data accuracy (risk score capture, chart reviews confirming documentation supports reported HCCs, quality reporting and value-based initiatives) & Core risk adjustment knowledge (ICD-10-CM application, HCCs and other risk adjustment models, risk adjustment payment systems such as Medicare Advantage and ACA)
Explain how risk scores feed quality reporting and value-based programs (HEDIS, Star Ratings, shared savings)
Distinguish coding accuracy metrics from risk-score capture metrics and explain why both matter
Analyze how model version changes and code updates shift risk scores and payment
Evaluate common data-accuracy failure points across the capture-to-submission cycle
Your checkpoint
A two-page written analysis linking risk-score accuracy to quality and value-based payment outcomes
Core risk adjustment knowledge (ICD-10-CM application, HCCs and other risk adjustment models, risk adjustment payment systems such as Medicare Advantage and ACA) & Documentation and compliance (specificity and accuracy in chronic condition coding, documentation gaps, CMS and other governing body compliance standards) & Chronic and complex conditions (diabetes, COPD, cancer, cardiovascular disease, renal disease; sequencing and linking comorbidities; long-term management) & Auditing and data accuracy (risk score capture, chart reviews confirming documentation supports reported HCCs, quality reporting and value-based initiatives)
Complete a timed 100-question mixed-domain practice exam and score it by domain
Re-review your three weakest domain areas using your own week 1-7 deliverables
Re-code five previously missed scenarios correctly and explain each correction
Build a one-page exam-day checklist of high-yield rules and sequencing traps
Your checkpoint
A scored practice exam with a domain breakdown and a written remediation log for every missed question
Milestones
Week 2: You can classify any given chronic diagnosis as HCC-relevant or payment-neutral and justify it without notes
Week 4: You correctly sequence and link at least 7 of 8 diabetes scenarios, including complication linking
Week 6: Your mock audit correctly identifies unsupported versus missed HCCs in at least 8 of 10 charts
Week 8: Practice exam score of 80% or higher overall with no single domain below 70%