The capstone pulls everything together. It has three parts: a written case you work on your own, the written exam, and a live assessment with our team.
Part 1: The practice account case
You receive a fictional practice account (no real patient data):
- A month of sessions with notes and times, for therapists and a PMHNP
- An ERA with payments, contractual adjustments, patient responsibility and three denials
- One patient with secondary insurance
- An A/R report with claims in every age bucket, two close to timely filing
- A fee schedule showing one payer underpaying a code
Your deliverable, in a single document:
- The correct CPT code, place of service and modifier for each session
- How you post each ERA line, and what goes to patient balance
- For each denial: what it means, the fix, and the next action
- Your A/R work plan for the week, in priority order
- A five-line weekly update to the practice owner, including the underpayment
Part 2: The written exam
Sixteen questions covering the core and your track. You need 80% to pass, and one retake is included. Take it when you’ve finished the case.
Part 3: The live assessment
A 30-minute video call with the Sharp team:
- A payer call (role-play): check a denied claim’s status and get a reference number and next step.
- A practice owner call (role-play): the owner asks why collections dropped. We look for numbers, causes, a plan and a timeline.
- Your case: we’ll ask you to walk us through one denial and one ERA line.
You’ll get written feedback within three business days. Pass all three parts and you’re certified.
How to prepare
- Re-read the knowledge checks at the end of each module.
- Practice balancing ERA lines: billed − CO = paid + PR.
- Practice explaining a denial in one sentence a practice owner understands.