RHIA

Theregisteredhealthinformationadministrator(Rhia)Examination

The RHIA exam is the certification examination for the Registered Health Information Administrator credential. It is developed and administered by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) through its Commission on Certification for Health Informatics and Information Management (CCHIIM). The exam measures whether a candidate can perform the work of an entry-level health information administrator: governing health data, controlling the use and disclosure of protected health information (PHI), analyzing data for decision-making, protecting revenue integrity, and managing people, budgets, and operations.

Exam Pattern

The RHIA is a computer-based exam scheduled at Pearson VUE testing centers. It contains 150 questions: 130 scored questions and 20 unscored pretest questions that AHIMA is evaluating for future forms. Pretest questions are mixed in with the scored questions and cannot be identified, so treat every question as if it counts. You have 3 hours and 30 minutes, which works out to about 84 seconds per question.

AHIMA exams use several item types. Most are traditional multiple-choice questions with a stem and four answer choices. Some are multiple-response items with more than one correct answer, and many are scenario items that describe a realistic HIM situation, such as a release-of-information request, a breach, a data report, or a staffing problem, followed by one or more questions.

The Five Content Domains

The exam content outline organizes the RHIA into five domains. Each domain lists task statements, the job tasks an RHIA performs, and every exam question is written to one of them. Compliance with uses and disclosures of PHI carries the largest share.

Domain	Weight	RepresentativeTaskStatements
1 InformationGovernance .	19%	Evaluatetheintegrityofhealthdata;processrequiredclinicaldataelementsfor
		qualityreporting;applydatadictionaryanddatastandardspolicies;developdata
		managementandinformationgovernancepolicies;managehealthrecordcontent
		anddocumentation
2 CompliancewithUsesand .	26%	Managepatientaccess;processinformationrequeststolegalandregulatory
DisclosuresofPHI		standards; monitor access to PHI and release-of -information workflows; apply
		retentionanddestructionpolicies;followbreachprotocols;ensureprivacyand
		securitycompliance
3 DataAnalyticsandInformatics .	24%	Developproductivityandtrendreports;createvisualrepresentationsofdata;use
		databasemanagementtechniques;managemasterpatientindexintegrity;audit
		documentation;optimizehealthIT;supporthealthinformationexchange;validate
		healthcarestatistics
4 RevenueManagement .	16%	Educate providers on value-based programs; validate coding accuracy; conduct
		clinicaldocumentationimprovement;verifyclaimsmanagement;assigncodesand
		groupings;conductrevenueintegrityandfraudpreventionactivities
5 ManagementandLeadership .	15%	Supportorganizationalinitiatives;collaborateoncontracts;performhumanresource ,
		workdesign andprocessimprovementactivities;facilitatetraining;preparebudgets; ,
		assistwithaccreditation licensing andcertification , ,

Scoring and Passing Requirements

Only the 130 scored questions count. AHIMA reports every exam on a scaled score from 100 to 400, and the passing score is 300. Scaling converts the number of questions you answer correctly into a common score so that candidates who receive slightly harder or easier forms are held to the same standard. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so answer every question before time expires.

The exam has 150 questions and a 3 hour 30 minute time limit. Scenario items take longer to read than recall items, so bank time on quick definitions and calculations you know well, flag long scenarios you are unsure of, and return to them at the end.

Exam at a Glance

ExamAspect	Details
Credential	RegisteredHealthInformationAdministrator(RHIA) awardedbyAHIMA ,
Delivery	Computer-based scheduled at a Pearson VUE testing center ,
Questions	150total:130scoredand20unscoredpretestquestions
Itemtypes	Four-option multiple choice multiple response and scenario-based items , ,
Time	3hours30minutes

ExamAspect	Details
Domains	InformationGovernance19%·CompliancewithUsesandDisclosuresofPHI26%·DataAnalyticsand
	Informatics24%·RevenueManagement16%·ManagementandLeadership15%
Scoring	Scaledscorefrom100to400;300topass
Examfee	US$229forAHIMAmembers;US$299fornonmembers
Retakes	Wait30days thensubmitanewapplicationandpaythefullexamfee ,
Maintainingthecredential	Continuing education units (CEUs) and a recertification fee on a two-year cycle

Eligibility and Registration

To sit for the RHIA, a candidate must meet one of AHIMA's academic eligibility routes:

Students in their final term of an accredited program may be eligible to apply early. After AHIMA approves the application, you receive an authorization to test and schedule an appointment with Pearson VUE. Appointments can be rescheduled at no charge up to 15 business days before the exam date. Confirm current fees and policies in the candidate information on AHIMA's website before you apply.