» CERTIFICATION UPDATE
New Professional Practice Experience Requirements,
Early Testing Update
Earning and maintaining your AHIMA
credentials is critical to your work as an
HIM professional. Whether you are just
studying for your first exam or have been
a certified professional for years, you need
to stay current on the policies and changes
that affect you and your staff.
• conducting a review of progress and
providing feedback
• conducting student evaluations at the
conclusion of the PPE
In addition, other individuals assigned to
mentor a student during a portion of the
PPE can now earn CEUs for their time.
These AHIMA-certified individuals can
earn one CEU for every 60 minutes of
direct student contact, with a maximum of
five CEUs (five hours of contact) per stu-
dent and a maximum of 10 CEUs allowed
in each recertification cycle. Now, shar-
ing your knowledge and experience with
students is mutually beneficial.
The new policy was created because earning these CEUs is based on a certified
individual’s personal effort. It recognizes
that staff members who invest time in students should receive CEUs because their
time and efforts are valuable. For example,
the employees who work with a student on
an EHR project or the site supervisor who
spends time coordinating the visit and
setting up various projects are now both
eligible for CEUs.
term of study in a CAHIIM-accredited
program for an HIT or HIA degree, consider registering to be an early tester for
the RHIA and RHIT exams. Early testing allows you to take your exam sooner
and provides passing candidates with a
significant advantage once they graduate.
By already having your AHIMA credentials, you become a better candidate
than other non-credentialed individuals
applying for the same jobs. Additionally,
early testing gives candidates the opportunity to attempt the exam when they are
best prepared. The earlier a student tests
after graduation, the more likely they are
to perform better on their exam. Students
are only eligible during their final term of
study, meaning that they will graduate at
the end of the current term. For example,
students who will graduate in spring 2010
are now eligible to register and sit for the
RHIA or RHIT exams. To apply for early
testing, candidates must submit a paper
application. Additionally, early testing
candidates must have a signed verification
form from their HIM program director.
Detailed instructions can be found at
www.ahima.org/certification/.
PPE Update
The Commission on Certification for
Health Informatics and Information Man-
agement (CCHIIM) has updated the recer-
tification policy in regards to professional
practice experience (PPE). The new policy
expands the definition of the PPE to state,
“substantive oversight and involvement of
directed professional practice on behalf of
a Commission on Accreditation for Health
Informatics and Information Management
Education (CAHIIM) accredited program.
Five CEUs per student supervised with a
maximum of 10 CEUs for student supervi-
sion allowed in each recertification cycle.”
The Commission provides examples of
substantive oversight and involvement to
include:
• creating a training plan and schedule of
activities
• developing and assigning project(s)
• providing direction and guidance
CCA Exam Update
Are you taking your CCA exam in 2010?
The CCA exam will require 2010 code
books starting on March 31. Candidates
will need to bring their 2010 ICD-9-CM
and CPT code books in order to take
their exam. For more information and
a list of allowable code books, visit
www.ahima.org/certification/cca and select
the exam preparation tab. In addition, the
CCA exam will continue to have immediate scoring which means candidates will
receive their exam results at the test center.
Graduating this Spring? Register
for Early Testing
If you are a student enrolled in your final
RHIA Exam Update
Are you taking your RHIA exam in 2010?
Candidates will be receiving their score reports in the mail within two weeks of their
testing date. Beginning on March 1, the
exam resumes immediate scoring which
means candidates will receive their exam
results at the test center. v
