Certifications
Certified Documentation Integrity Practitioner (CDIP®)
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Organizations value clinical documentation integrity (CDI) competencies in health information professionals, nurses, and physicians. Individuals earning the CDIP credential demonstrate expertise in clinical documentation within patient health records. Both employers and colleagues view CDIP holders as role models within the broader health information community. |
Online Proctored Exam Now Available
Candidates will now have the choice to take their certification exam at a Pearson VUE authorized test center, or online with OnVUE in the comfort of their home. Visit our webpage to learn more about remote exam test taking.
Eligibility Requirements
Candidates must meet one of the following eligibility requirements to sit for the CDIP® examination:
- Hold an associate’s degree or higher; or
- Hold a CCS®, CCS-P®, RHIT®, or RHIA® credential
While not required, the following are recommended:
- Minimum of two (2) years of clinical documentation integrity experience
- Associate’s degree or higher in a health care or allied health care discipline
- Completion of coursework in the following topics:
- Medical terminology
- Human anatomy and physiology
- Pathology
- Pharmacology
Be Prepared for the Exam
Our optional Certified Documentation Integrity Practitioner (CDIP®) Preparation Course guides you through the content that you may see on the certification exam. Dive into the five online lessons at your own pace in the evening, during your lunch hour, or whenever you prefer to study. At the end, take a quick practice exam to gauge whether you’re ready for the test.
Apply for the Exam
Apply to take the Certified Documentation Integrity Practitioner (CDIP®) exam.
- Non-member price: $329 (Learn more about the benefits of AHIMA membership.)
- Member price: $259
About the CDIP® Exam
Certified Professionals and Pass Rates
As of 12/31/2022, there were 2,331 certified CDIP® professionals.
|
Year |
Exam |
# First Time Testers |
Pass Rate First Time Testers |
|
2022* |
CDIP |
334 |
63% |
|
2021* |
CDIP |
303 |
62% |
|
2020* |
CDIP |
274 |
61% |
*U.S. and Canada results only
Exam Specifications
The CDIP® is a timed exam. Candidates have three hours to complete the exam. The total number of questions on the exam is 140. There are 106 scored items and 34 pretest items. The exam is given in a computer-based format.
AHIMA exams contain a variety of questions or item types that require you to use your knowledge, skills, and/or experience to select the best answer. Each exam includes scored questions and pretest questions randomly distributed throughout the exam. Pretest questions are for data collection purpose and they do not count towards candidate's score.
The passing score for the CDIP is 300.
Competencies for CDIPs fall into domains. Each domain accounts for a specific percentage of the total questions on the certification exam. See the Exam Content Outline for greater detail.
In 2022, the American Health Information Management Association® (AHIMA) began a job task analysis for the Certified Documentation Integrity Practitioner (CDIP®) professional certification. The purpose of the current job analysis study was to validate the current tasks that are in the content outline for the CDIP program as well as identify additional tasks that may be required for CDIPs in their current role. The result of the CDIP job task analysis study resulted in an updated Content Outline to ensure the most current state of practice is being tested in the examination. You can look at the new CDIP Content Outline below as well as a “CDIP 2023 Content Outline Crosswalk” that shows and highlights the changes between the previous Content Outline and the new one.