CMS 101 · A 101 Guide for Healthcare ProfessionalsYou Navigate CMS Every Day. But Do You Actually Know How It's Built?
Understand, Navigate, and Work Smarter with CMS
CMS 101 — Anatomy of CMS gives healthcare professionals the foundational map they were never given — in about an hour.
One-time $150
CMS is too important to guess your way through.
Build your foundation with confidence — in about an hour.
If You Work In Healthcare, You Interact With CMS Constantly
Whether you're in Medicare, Medicaid, managed care, or anywhere in the healthcare ecosystem — you reference their rules. You cite their guidance. You follow their deadlines. But if someone asked you right now…
For most healthcare professionals — even seasoned ones — the honest answer is: not really.
And that's not a personal failure. It's a structural gap. Nobody teaches this.
I Know This Gap Intimately. Because I Lived It.
When I first walked into CMS as a fresh graduate, I felt like a novice swimmer who had just been dropped into the deep ocean. High stakes. Complex systems. No map.
I spent a decade — from 2012 to 2022 — inside the agency, learning the anatomy from the inside. How it's structured. Who does what. Where the power sits. How to find information that isn't obvious. How to read a CMS memo and trace it back to the exact division that produced it.
And the longer I was there, the more I noticed something outside the building: the health plans, providers, and professionals we interacted with were operating without a foundation. Not because they weren't intelligent or experienced — but because nobody had ever shown them the map.
They knew the rules. They didn't know the system.
That gap is expensive. It creates over-dependence on consultants. It slows decision-making. It creates blind spots in strategy. When I left CMS, I felt what I can only describe as a moral obligation:
CMS 101 — Anatomy of CMS is that foundation. The map I wish had existed when I started.
CMS 101 — Anatomy of CMS
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is one of the most powerful forces shaping healthcare in the United States. In about an hour, you'll build the clarity and confidence to stop feeling lost with CMS — and start understanding and navigating it for your work.
Understanding CMS
- M1L1Introduction & Why CMS Matters — the history, the mission, the weight
- M1L2CMS Organization — Offices & Centers — the org chart, decoded
- M1L3Centers, Groups & Divisions — drilling down to where the work happens
Navigating CMS
- M2L4Functional Statements & Regional Offices — the hidden tools insiders use
- M2L5CMS Web Resources — Newsroom, Data & Program Sites: a map of the full digital ecosystem
- M2L6CMS Tools & Connecting to Your Role — MLN, acronyms, and your next step
What You'll Walk Away With
Understand CMS structure and functions — so you work more confidently and efficiently.
Gain a competitive edge by mastering essential CMS foundational knowledge.
Navigate CMS websites and resources faster — with far less frustration.
Know exactly which part of CMS connects to your work — and how to reach them.
Built For Professionals Who Work With — Or Around — CMS
This is for you if you're…
- → Clinical staff interfacing with CMS programs and policies
- → An administrative or operational professional managing CMS compliance
- → A strategy or systems professional designing around CMS requirements
- → A healthcare consultant or vendor supporting health plans
- → A company pursuing or holding CMS contracts who needs to understand the org structure to know who you're working with
- → New to working with or around CMS — or a veteran who never got this foundation
This is not for…
- × Anyone looking for clinical or coding training
Prince Baawuah, DrPH, MPH, CSM®
CEO / Chief Tutor, HEALS Academy · Builder at Mimilabs · Head of MA Solutions, Falcon Health
From 2012 to 2022, Prince led key components of the Medicare Advantage Encounter Data Project at CMS — work that safeguarded the accuracy of more than $250 billion in annual MA payments and turned encounter data into fair, accurate, complete and timely risk adjustment payments.
Today he channels that decade of CMS expertise into practical learning that demystifies Medicare Advantage for every corner of healthcare — clinical, administrative, operational, strategic, and technical. Guided by his 7E philosophy — Educate → Enlighten → Empower → Enable → Engage → Execute → Excel — he turns complex regulations into insights you can act on.
Whether you're new to healthcare or a seasoned leader sharpening your edge, his clear, engaging style gives you the tools to navigate CMS with confidence.
Trusted By Healthcare Professionals
From HEALS Academy students, colleagues, and professionals who've learned from or worked alongside Prince.
Frequently Asked
How long does the course take?
How long do I have access?
Is this clinical or coding training?
I've worked around CMS for years. Will I still get value?
What format are the lessons?
Is this course affiliated with or sponsored by CMS?
CMS 101 — Anatomy of CMS
A 101 Guide for Healthcare Professionals
One-time payment · Lifetime access · Self-paced
After you enroll, you get immediate access to all 6 lessons inside your HEALS Academy student portal. Work through them at your own pace. Come back anytime. No expiration.
EDUCATE → ENLIGHTEN → EMPOWER → ENABLE → ENGAGE → EXECUTE → EXCEL
© HEALS Academy · All rights reserved.
Independent course — not affiliated with or endorsed by CMS.
