Course outline
90 days. Every topic you need.
The complete day-by-day map of the Medita curriculum, organized by month. Every day has a structured reading (4 sections, 6–8 min read) and a 12-question mixed-format quiz. Day 1 is free.
Month 1 · Days 1–30 · Beginner
Foundations
Medical terminology (prefixes, suffixes, roots), all 12 body systems, pathology basics, pharmacology, lab values, imaging, surgical procedures, abbreviations, encounter workflow, provider and facility types, insurance basics, HIPAA.
| Day | Title | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to Medical Coding ↗ free | Code systems overview, the coder's role |
| 2 | The Healthcare Reimbursement Ecosystem | The revenue cycle: how payments flow from patient to provider, and the coder's role |
| 3 | Medical Records & Documentation Basics | What a coder reads, where to find it, and what makes documentation codable |
| 4 | Medical Terminology I — Prefixes | The front of the word: prefixes that tell you direction, location, time, and quantity |
| 5 | Medical Terminology II — Suffixes | The end of the word: suffixes that tell you what condition, what procedure, or what kind of specialist |
| 6 | Medical Terminology III — Root Words & Combining Forms | The body-part roots: cardi, neur, gastr, derm, oste, hem, and the rest of the middle of every medical word |
| 7 | Anatomy I — Integumentary System | The skin (epidermis, dermis, subcutaneous), hair, nails, glands. Burns, lesions, lacerations |
| 8 | Anatomy II — Skeletal System | 206 bones, axial vs appendicular, joints, fractures (open/closed, displaced/non-displaced) |
| 9 | Anatomy III — Muscular System | Skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscle; tendons vs. ligaments; sprain vs. strain |
| 10 | Anatomy IV — Nervous System | CNS vs PNS, brain regions, neurons, common conditions (stroke, epilepsy, MS) |
| 11 | Anatomy V — Cardiovascular System | Heart chambers, valves, vessels, blood flow path. MI, CHF, arrhythmias, HTN |
| 12 | Anatomy VI — Respiratory System | Upper/lower airways, alveoli, gas exchange. COPD, asthma, pneumonia, PE |
| 13 | Anatomy VII — Digestive System | GI tract (mouth → anus), accessory organs (liver, gallbladder, pancreas). GERD, ulcers, IBS, cholecystitis |
| 14 | Anatomy VIII — Urinary System | Kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra. UTI, CKD, kidney stones, AKI |
| 15 | Anatomy IX — Endocrine System | Pituitary, thyroid, adrenals, pancreas, gonads. Diabetes (Type 1 vs 2), thyroid disorders |
| 16 | Anatomy X — Lymphatic & Immune System | Lymph nodes, vessels, spleen, thymus. T and B cells. Lymphoma, HIV, autoimmune basics |
| 17 | Anatomy XI — Reproductive System | Male anatomy (testes, prostate), female anatomy (uterus, ovaries). Pregnancy basics, common conditions |
| 18 | Anatomy XII — Sensory Organs (Eye & Ear) | Eye anatomy, ear anatomy (outer/middle/inner). Cataracts, glaucoma, otitis media |
| 19 | Pathology Basics for Coders | Disease vs disorder vs syndrome, signs vs symptoms, acute vs chronic, etiology vs pathogenesis |
| 20 | Pharmacology Basics for Coders | Drug classes (antibiotics, analgesics, antihypertensives, etc.), routes of administration, generic vs brand |
| 21 | Lab Values & Common Tests | CBC (WBC/RBC/Hgb/Plt), BMP/CMP, urinalysis, lipid panel, A1c, troponin, BNP, INR/PT/PTT |
| 22 | Imaging Basics | X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound — when each is used, what coders see on requisitions, contrast vs no contrast |
| 23 | Surgical Procedures Overview | Open vs laparoscopic vs robotic vs endoscopic. Anesthesia types. Common surgical suffixes recap |
| 24 | Medical Abbreviations Every Coder Must Know | BID, TID, PRN, NPO, SOB, NKDA, ROS, HPI, A&O, CC, hx, DM, HTN, CAD, COPD, etc. |
| 25 | The Patient Encounter — From Check-in to Claim | Full workflow: registration, intake, exam, dx, plan, charge capture, claim submission, payment posting |
| 26 | Provider Types | Who delivers care — MD, DO, NP, PA, CNM, CRNA, RN, LPN, MA — and how scope of practice changes billing |
| 27 | Facility Types | Where care happens — clinic, hospital (inpatient/outpatient), ASC, SNF, hospice, urgent care, FQHC, RHC |
| 28 | Insurance Basics | Commercial payers, Medicare A/B/C/D, Medicaid, TRICARE, and workers' compensation |
| 29 | Privacy and HIPAA Basics | PHI, minimum necessary, treatment/payment/operations, breach notification, BAAs |
| 30 | Foundations Review and Mock Quiz | Month 1 review across terminology, anatomy, code systems, insurance, and HIPAA — plus a mixed-format mock exam |
Month 2 · Days 31–60 · Standard
ICD-10-CM + CPT Core
ICD-10-CM structure, all 22 chapters, official guidelines, combination codes, sequencing. CPT structure, E/M (2021 MDM reform), Anesthesia, Surgery I–IV (Integumentary → Musculoskeletal → Cardiopulmonary → Digestive).
| Day | Title | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | ICD-10-CM Structure & Conventions | How an ICD-10-CM code is built — 3-7 characters, categories, decimals, X placeholders, 7th-character extensions, and the includes/excludes/code-first/use-additional notes |
| 32 | ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines I | Section I.A conventions and Section I.B general coding guidelines — principal diagnosis, signs/symptoms vs definitive diagnosis, combination codes, late effects (sequelae) |
| 33 | ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines II | Section I.C chapter-specific highlights — HIV, sepsis, neoplasm sequencing, diabetes "with," CKD/HTN combos, fracture episode of care, Z-codes when first-listed |
| 34 | ICD-10-CM Chapter 1 — Infectious and Parasitic Diseases | A00-B99 plus related codes — sepsis sequencing, HIV (B20/Z21), STIs, TB, COVID-19 (U07.1), foodborne illness, MRSA, and common viral infections |
| 35 | ICD-10-CM Chapter 2 — Neoplasms | C00-D49 — malignant vs benign vs uncertain vs unspecified behavior, primary vs secondary site, in situ, neoplasm-related anemia, and sequencing for treatment vs surveillance |
| 36 | ICD-10-CM Chapters 3-4 — Blood / Endocrine & Metabolic | D50-D89 (anemias, coagulation); E00-E89 (diabetes, thyroid, lipid disorders, obesity, dehydration); diabetes with combination coding |
| 37 | ICD-10-CM Chapters 5-6 — Mental / Nervous | F01-F99 (mood, anxiety, substance use, dementia, schizophrenia); G00-G99 (epilepsy, migraine, Parkinson, MS, Alzheimer, neuropathy); substance use vs dependence vs intoxication |
| 38 | ICD-10-CM Chapters 7-8 — Eye / Ear | H00-H59 (cataract, glaucoma, AMD, retinal disorders, conjunctivitis); H60-H95 (otitis media/externa, hearing loss, Meniere) |
| 39 | ICD-10-CM Chapter 9 — Circulatory | I00-I99: hypertension (I10/I11/I12/I13 combinations), MI (I21/I22), heart failure (I50.X), atrial fibrillation, stroke (I60-I69), DVT/PE |
| 40 | ICD-10-CM Chapter 10 — Respiratory | J00-J99: pneumonia (J12-J18 organism-specific, J18.9 unspecified), COPD (J44), asthma (J45 with severity), bronchitis, influenza, acute vs chronic, smoking status pairing |
| 41 | ICD-10-CM Chapter 11 — Digestive | K00-K95: GERD, gastritis and ulcers, appendicitis, gallbladder disease, hernias, IBD, IBS, diverticular disease |
| 42 | ICD-10-CM Chapters 12-13 — Skin and Musculoskeletal | L00-L99 (skin): cellulitis, dermatitis, ulcers, psoriasis; M00-M99 (musculoskeletal): osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, low back pain — and how fracture codes split between M-codes and S-codes |
| 43 | ICD-10-CM Chapter 14 — Genitourinary | N00-N99: chronic kidney disease with stages, UTI with organism coding, urolithiasis, BPH, erectile dysfunction, breast disorders, menstrual disorders, female pelvic conditions |
| 44 | ICD-10-CM Chapters 15-16 — Pregnancy and Perinatal | O00-O9A: pregnancy and childbirth (trimester rules, supervision codes, complications); P00-P96: newborn and perinatal conditions (birth weight, gestational age, prematurity) |
| 45 | ICD-10-CM Chapters 17-18 — Congenital and Symptoms | Q00-Q99: congenital malformations including Down syndrome and cardiac/CNS/limb anomalies; R00-R99: when to use signs and symptoms vs definitive diagnosis, abnormal findings, ill-defined conditions |
| 46 | ICD-10-CM Chapter 19 — Injuries and Poisoning | S00-T88: fracture coding, burns, poisoning, adverse effects vs underdosing, complications of care |
| 47 | ICD-10-CM Chapter 20 — External Causes of Morbidity | V00-Y99: how/where/what-activity codes, when required, transport accidents, falls, assault, never the principal diagnosis |
| 48 | ICD-10-CM Chapter 21 — Z-codes (Factors Influencing Health) | Z00-Z99: screening, history, exposure, status codes, aftercare vs sequela, well visits, observation |
| 49 | ICD-10-CM Special Topics — Combination Codes and Sequencing | The "with" assumption, etiology/manifestation coding, late effects/sequelae sequencing, multiple body system involvement, when to query |
| 50 | CPT Structure and Categories | Five-digit CPT codes, Categories I/II/III, the section/subsection/category hierarchy, indented (semicolon) descriptors, unlisted codes, add-on codes, modifier basics |
| 51 | E/M Coding I — Office / Outpatient (99202-99215) | 2021 MDM reform, new vs established patient, the 3-level MDM grid, time-based selection thresholds |
| 52 | E/M Coding II — Hospital Inpatient (99221-99239) | Initial vs subsequent vs discharge, inpatient vs observation, attending vs consulting roles |
| 53 | E/M Coding III — ED, Observation, Critical Care | ED levels (99281-99285), observation codes, critical care 99291/99292 time-based, 30-minute threshold |
| 54 | E/M Coding IV — Consultations & Preventive Visits | Office consults (99242-99245), preventive medicine by age (99381-99397), shared/split visits, modifier 25 |
| 55 | Anesthesia Coding (00100-01999) | Base + time + modifying factors formula, physical status modifiers P1-P6, qualifying circumstances, MAC vs conscious sedation |
| 56 | Surgery Coding I — Integumentary (10004-19499) | Lesion excisions (benign and malignant), shaving, biopsies, lesion destruction, wound repair by site and length, skin grafts, breast procedures |
| 57 | Surgery Coding II — Musculoskeletal (20100-29999) | Fracture care (closed/open, with/without manipulation), casts and splints, arthroscopy by joint, arthroplasty, spine procedures |
| 58 | Surgery Coding III — Respiratory & Cardiovascular (30000-39599) | Bronchoscopy, thoracentesis, pacemaker insertion, cardiac catheterization, CABG, vascular access procedures |
| 59 | Surgery Coding IV — Digestive (40490-49999) | EGD, colonoscopy (screening vs diagnostic), laparoscopic vs open cholecystectomy, hernia repair, appendectomy |
| 60 | CPT Mid-Section Review & Mock Quiz | Month 2 cumulative review — ICD-10-CM conventions and chapters, CPT structure and sections, E/M coding rules, Surgery section organization, with a harder mixed mock quiz |
Month 3 · Days 61–90 · Standard → Exam-prep
HCPCS + Modifiers + Exam Prep
HCPCS Level II (A, E, J, L, Q codes), modifier deep-dives, NCCI edits, compliance & HIPAA, payment systems (Medicare A/B/C/D, MS-DRGs, APCs, RBRVS), claim forms (CMS-1500, UB-04), denials & appeals, 5 specialty deep-dives, 20+ chart-to-code case studies, 100-question mock exam, CPC vs CCA vs CCS roadmap.
| Day | Title | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | Surgery Coding V — Urinary & Male Genital (50010-55899) | Cystoscopy 52000 series, TURP 52601 family, lithotripsy, prostatectomy radical vs simple, ureteral stent, vasectomy/circumcision |
| 62 | Surgery Coding VI — Female Genital & Maternity (56405-59899) | Hysterectomy approach matters (TAH, TVH, TLH), D&C 58120, LEEP/colposcopy, delivery codes (vaginal vs C-section), antepartum/postpartum, global OB package |
| 63 | Surgery Coding VII — Endocrine & Nervous (60000-64999) | Thyroidectomy approach, parathyroidectomy, craniotomy variations, spinal injections (transforaminal/interlaminar), nerve blocks, EMG/NCS reminder |
| 64 | Surgery Coding VIII — Eye, Ear, Auditory (65091-69990) | Cataract extraction 66984/66982, glaucoma trabeculectomy, retinal detachment repair, tympanostomy tube insertion 69433, myringotomy, cochlear implant |
| 65 | Radiology Coding (70010-79999) | Diagnostic imaging by body region, with/without contrast, ultrasound, mammography (screening 77067 vs diagnostic 77065/77066), professional vs technical components (modifiers 26 and TC), nuclear medicine, interventional radiology |
| 66 | Pathology & Lab Coding (80047-89398) | Panels (BMP, CMP, lipid), individual tests, drug testing, surgical pathology levels, cytology, molecular pathology, blood bank |
| 67 | Medicine Section (90281-99607) | Vaccines and admin, psych, dialysis, PT/OT, chemo administration, allergy testing/immunotherapy, cardiovascular and pulmonary tests |
| 68 | HCPCS Level II — A-codes and E-codes (Supplies and DME) | A-codes for medical/surgical supplies and ambulance services, E-codes for durable medical equipment, KX modifier, capped rentals |
| 69 | HCPCS Level II — J-codes (Drugs) | Injectable drugs not self-administered, billing units per mg/per IU, Q-codes for unclassified, NDC reporting, common J-codes |
| 70 | HCPCS Level II — L-codes, Q-codes, G-codes, V-codes and S-codes | L-codes orthotics/prosthetics, Q-codes temporary, G-codes screening/quality, V-codes vision/hearing, S-codes commercial only |
| 71 | Modifiers Deep Dive I — -25, -59, -51, -50 | Modifier -25 (significant E/M same day as procedure), -59 (distinct procedural service and the X{EPSU} replacements), -51 (multiple procedures, when not to use), -50 (bilateral procedure billing) |
| 72 | Modifiers Deep Dive II — -22, -57, -78, -79, anatomical, RT/LT | Modifier -22 (increased procedural services), -57 (decision for surgery), -78 (return to OR for related procedure), -79 (unrelated procedure during postop), anatomical modifiers (F1-F9, T1-T9), RT/LT laterality |
| 73 | NCCI Edits & Bundling | National Correct Coding Initiative — column 1/column 2 edits, mutually exclusive edits, modifier indicators (0/1/9), bypassing with X-modifiers, where to find NCCI tables, MUEs vs PTPs |
| 74 | MUEs & Add-on Codes | Medically Unlikely Edits (per-day maximum units), add-on codes (+ prefix, exempt from -51, must be reported with primary), inherent bilateral codes, time-based codes, fragmentation and unbundling concerns |
| 75 | Compliance, HIPAA, Fraud & Abuse | False Claims Act, Stark Law (self-referral), Anti-Kickback Statute, OIG work plan, RAC audits, compliance programs (8 elements), AAPC/AHIMA code of ethics, common upcoding/unbundling/cloning examples |
| 76 | Payment Systems I — Medicare A/B/C/D | Medicare Part A (inpatient/SNF/hospice), Part B (outpatient/physician), Part C (Medicare Advantage), Part D (drugs), Medigap supplemental, dual eligibles, eligibility basics |
| 77 | Payment Systems II — MS-DRGs, APCs, RBRVS | MS-DRGs for inpatient (severity adjustment, principal dx drives), APCs for outpatient prospective payment, RBRVS for physician payment (RVUs: work + practice expense + malpractice), conversion factor, OPPS |
| 78 | Claim Forms — CMS-1500 Walkthrough | Field-by-field overview of CMS-1500 02/12 form: patient demographics, insurance fields, diagnosis codes (24E pointing), procedure codes (24D), modifiers, place of service, NPI, signature, total charges |
| 79 | Claim Forms — UB-04 Walkthrough | Hospital/institutional claim — UB-04 (CMS-1450): patient/provider/payer demographics, condition codes, value codes, revenue codes (line-item categorization), HCPCS/CPT line items, type of bill, discharge disposition |
| 80 | Denials & Appeals Workflow | Common denial reasons (timely filing, eligibility, NCCI, medical necessity, missing modifier, duplicate), denial codes (CARC/RARC), levels of appeal (redetermination, reconsideration, ALJ, DAB, judicial), appeal letter anatomy |
| 81 | EHR/EMR Basics for Coders | EHR vs EMR distinction, common systems (Epic, Cerner/Oracle Health, Athenahealth), key sections coders use, structured vs unstructured data, smart sets and templates, problem list curation, copy-forward concerns |
| 82 | Specialty Coding — OB/GYN | Antepartum care + delivery + postpartum global package, multiple gestations, complications coding, abortion/miscarriage codes, sterilization, infertility, hysterectomy by approach, gyn surgery code groups |
| 83 | Specialty Coding — Pediatrics | Newborn coding (initial well vs problem), preventive visits (99381-99394 age bands), immunization administration (90460/90461 + counseling), developmental screening codes, common pediatric dx (otitis, asthma, gastroenteritis, atopic dermatitis) |
| 84 | Specialty Coding — Oncology | Chemotherapy administration hierarchy (initial 96409/96413, additional hours, push vs infusion, hydration), radiation therapy delivery codes, cancer status codes (active vs Z85 history), neoplasm-related anemia D63.0 sequencing |
| 85 | Specialty Coding — Cardiology | Cardiac catheterization 93451-93464, PCI with/without stent, EP studies and ablation, pacemaker insertion/replacement/interrogation, stress testing 93015-93018, echocardiography 93306-93350, holter monitoring |
| 86 | Specialty Coding — Orthopedics | Fracture care (closed vs open treatment, with/without manipulation), casts and splints, arthroscopy by joint, joint replacement (primary vs revision), spine fusion, sports medicine procedures |
| 87 | Case Studies: Outpatient | Walkthroughs of office-visit, in-office procedure, lab, and imaging vignettes — coders pick ICD-10-CM, CPT, and HCPCS codes from realistic charts |
| 88 | Case Studies: Inpatient | Walkthroughs of admission, surgery, complication, and discharge vignettes — coders identify MS-DRG-driving diagnoses, principal diagnosis, complications, and ICD-10-PCS procedure codes |
| 89 | Mock Exam — Final Readiness Challenge | Exam strategy: time management, question types, when to skip, code-book navigation; the 12 quiz items are the hardest mixed-skills questions in the curriculum |
| 90 | CPC vs CCA vs CCS — Certification Roadmap | Comparison of AAPC and AHIMA credentials, exam logistics (cost, format, prep timeline, retake rules), and career paths after certification |
90 days · 1,080 quiz items
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