RHIT®

NCCA Accreditation

Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT®)

Professionals holding the RHIT credential are health information technicians who:

  • Ensure the quality of medical records by verifying their completeness, accuracy, and proper entry into computer systems.
  • Use computer applications to assemble and analyze patient data for the purpose of improving patient care or controlling costs.
  • Often specialize in coding diagnoses and procedures in patient records for reimbursement and research. An additional role for RHITs is cancer registrars - compiling and maintaining data on cancer patients.

With experience, the RHIT credential holds solid potential for advancement to management positions, especially when combined with a bachelor's degree.

Although most RHITs work in hospitals, they are also found in other healthcare settings including office-based physician practices, nursing homes, home health agencies, mental health facilities, and public health agencies. In fact, RHITs may be employed in any organization that uses patient data or health information, such as pharmaceutical companies, law and insurance firms, and health product vendors.

Eligibility Requirements

RHIT applicants must meet one of the following eligibility requirements:

  • Successfully complete the academic requirements, at an associate's degree 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 that are currently waiting for their official transcripts

Click here for the Early Testing Exam Application​​

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Applying for the Exam

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 Preparation Information

Exam Preparation Information

Exam Specifications

  • 3.5 hour, 150 four-option, multiple-choice question examination consisting of 130 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 subdivided into domains, subdomains, and tasks as shown in the PDF below. Examinations test only content pertaining to the following competencies.

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