RHIA®

Overview

NCCA Accreditation

Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA®)

Working as a critical link between care providers, payers, and patients, the RHIA:

  • Is an expert in managing patient health information and medical records, administering computer information systems, collecting and analyzing patient data, and using classification systems and medical terminologies.
  • Possesses comprehensive knowledge of medical, administrative, ethical and legal requirements and standards related to healthcare delivery and the privacy of protected patient information.
  • Manages people and operational units, participates in administrative committees, and prepares budgets.
  • Interacts with all levels of an organization - clinical, financial, administrative, and information systems - that employ patient data in decision-making and everyday operations.

Job opportunities for RHIAs exist in multiple settings throughout the healthcare industry. These include the continuum of care delivery organizations, including hospitals, multispecialty clinics and physician practices, long-term care, mental health, and other ambulatory care settings. The profession has seen significant expansion in nonpatient care settings, with careers in managed care and insurance companies, software vendors, consulting services, government agencies, education, and pharmaceutical companies.

Eligibility

Eligibility Requirements

RHIA applicants must meet one of the following eligibility requirements:​

  • Successfully complete the academic requirements, at the baccalaureate level, of an HIM program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).
    • OR
  • Graduate from an HIM program approved by a foreign association with which AHIMA has a reciprocity agreement.

The academic qualifications of each candidate will be verified before a candidate is deemed eligible to take the examination. All first-time applicants must submit an 
official transcript from their college or university.

  1. Students interested in obtaining a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, Certificate of Completion, or Transfer of Credits information must contact the CAHIIM-accredited program in which they wish to enroll regarding their institutional policies. Please visit the program directory Web site at www.cahiim.org/directory to access the list of CAHIIM-accredited programs.
  2. AHIMA and the Canadian Health Information Management Association (CHIMA) shall permit a graduate of a program in HIM at the associate or baccalaureate degree level to apply to write the appropriate certification examination consistent with the academic level achieved and given independently by the two associations. The graduate must meet the educational competencies for certification as a technician or administrator established by the association to which the application is made.
  3. Students in CAHIIM-accredited programs for RHIT® or RHIA, enrolled in their final term of study, are now eligible to apply for and take their respective certification exam early. Eligible students include the following:
    • Students currently enrolled and in their last term of study
    • Students who have completed their course work but have not yet graduated
    • Graduates who are currently waiting for their official transcripts

Click here for the Early Testing Exam Application​

Applying

Submitting an Application

Before submitting an application, carefully review the information contained in the candidate guide. It is the candidate's responsibility to ensure eligibility before submitting the application. Applicants who are determined to be ineligible and submit an ineligible application or request withdrawal of their application, will receive a refund of the application fee minus a $75 processing fee.

Applicants may register online or by submitting a paper application.

Exam Fees

Member Price: $229
Non-member price: $299

Exam Application Checklist

Eligibility Period

A candidate’s eligibility period is defined in the Authorization to Test letter (ATT) as a four-month window in which candidates are required to schedule their exam appointment. Candidates who fail to schedule an examination appointment within their eligibility period indicated in their ATT will forfeit their application fee. A complete application and examination fee are required to reapply for the examination.

Candidates arriving at the test center 15 minutes after the scheduled appointment will not be allowed to test and will forfeit the testing fee. A complete application and examination fee are required to reapply for the examination.

Exam Prep

Exam Preparation Information

Exam Specifications

  • Four hour, 180 four-option, multiple-choice question examination consisting of 160 scored questions and 20 pretest questions.
  • A candidate's score is based on the number of scored questions on the examination. The pretest questions do not affect a candidate's score.
  • Pretest questions are included in order to evaluate them for possible use as scored questions on future examinations. The pretest questions are placed throughout the examination and cannot be identified during the examination.

Exam Content Outline

A certification examination is based on an explicit set of competencies. These competencies have been determined through a job analysis study conducted of practitioners. The competencies are divided into domains and tasks as shown in the tables below. Examinations test content only pertaining to the following competencies.