« CERTIFICATION UPDATE
Revised Eligibility Requirements for CHPS/CHDA
Exams Begin in 2012
The Commission on Certification for Health Informatics and Information
Management (CCHIIM) has expanded the
pathways for eligibility for the Certified
in Healthcare Privacy and Security
(CHPS) and Certified Health Data Analyst
(CHDA) exams.
According to the new requirements,
candidates with an associate’s degree and
the pre-requisite years of HIM experience
would be eligible to sit for the exam. This
would allow a significant-sized group of
AHIMA certificants to sit for the exams
that were previously not eligible to despite
many years of experience.
Changing the eligibility requirements for
these credentials paves the way for many
qualified AHIMA members who would
otherwise have no way of obtaining the
credentials without the time and expense
of obtaining a higher degree. In providing
the updated requirements, CCHIIM
hopes to certify more CHPS and CHDA
candidates and provide more ways for
HIM professionals to grow and advance.
Reasons for the Change
The driving force behind the revised
requirements is to allow more opportunity
for those who are RHITs without bachelor’s
degrees to obtain advanced credentials.
Since the inception of these exams,
CCHIIM has received a great deal of
feedback from professionals who perform
the job duties associated with these
credentials, yet are not currently eligible
to sit for the exams. Time has shown
that individuals who work in privacy,
security, and data analysis have a variety
of backgrounds beyond what was initially
slated in the eligibility requirements.
CCHIIM decided to update the eligibility
requirements to better reflect current
education and experience levels as found
in the industry. This is important to the
HIM field because increasing the number
of individuals with recognized advanced
specialty credentials demonstrates
the increasing expertise of HIM
certified professionals.
By implementing the revised eligibility
requirements, CCHIIM hopes to empower
AHIMA certificants who have extensive
industry experience but previously didn’t
qualify for mastery level certifications
solely because of lacking a higher degree.
The alternate pathways are also intended
to be more inclusive of individuals from
sectors besides HIM, such as informaticists
or individuals in information technology
who desire a credential to expand their
careers into the realm of HIM.
Rationale for Revised
Eligibility Requirements
The revised eligibility requirements were
determined based on a combination of
education and experience. Exam applicants
must meet one of the following eligibility
requirements for the CHPS Examination:
• Associate’s degree and six years
experience in healthcare privacy or
security management
• Healthcare information management
credential (RHIT) and minimum of
four years of experience in healthcare
privacy or security management
• Baccalaureate degree and a minimum
of four years experience in healthcare
privacy or security management
• Healthcare information management
credential (RHIA) and minimum of
two years of experience in healthcare
privacy or security management
• Master’s or related degree (JD,
MD, or PhD) and two years of
experience in healthcare privacy or
security management
Exam candidates must meet one of the
following eligibility requirements for the
Certified Health Data Analyst examination:
• Associate’s degree and minimum of five
years of healthcare data experience
• Healthcare information management
credential (RHIT) and minimum
of three years of healthcare
data experience
• Baccalaureate degree and a minimum
of three years of healthcare
data experience
• Healthcare information management
credential (RHIA) and minimum of
one year of healthcare data experience
• Master’s or related degree (JD, MD,
or PhD) and one year of healthcare
data experience
The revised eligibility requirements will
go into effect in January 2012. For more
information, visit AHIMA’s certification
Web site. v
