Clinical Health Informatics Specialist External Certification Information

Students who complete designated coursework within the Health Information Technology associate of applied science degree are prepared to take the Office of National Coordinator (ONC), Health Information Technology Professional (HIT Pro TM) exams offered through the ONC or through the American Health Information Management Association. 

“CAHIMS is a new HIMSS health IT certification designed for emerging professionals within the industry (five years or less of experience). This certification demonstrates knowledge of health IT and management systems, facilitating entry-level careers in health IT. It is designed to be a career pathway to the CPHIMS credential (Healthcare Information and Management Systems).”

Who is the CAHIMS credential for?

• Individuals looking to work in a healthcare setting or mid-level professionals seeking career change
• Those who want to learn more about health IT, including clinicians
• Non-IT professionals, working in other departments, who work as an extension of the IT department
• Those enrolled in an academic program at the undergraduate or graduate level, i.e. healthcare informatics, CAHME-accredited program, Masters in Healthcare Administration, or others students
• Veterans returning from active duty  (HIMSS)

How will the CAHIMS credential help you?
The CAHIMS:

• Is an entry-level certification for people interested in healthcare information and management systems
• Demonstrates your professional knowledge in healthcare information and management systems
• Authenticates your knowledge to assist in facilitating and implementing the health IT life cycle of events
• Establishes a solid foundation that can be used to strengthen abilities, acquire more experience and advance a career path
• Is a first step toward becoming a proven leader in the industry, and may be a career pathway to CPHIMS (HIMSS)

The Health Information Technology Professional (HIT Pro TM) exams will confirm that a candidate’s experience and skills are ready to meet the nation’s need for health information technology workers. As the healthcare industry transitions to electronic health records (EHRs), HIT Pros show a commitment to their profession and their career. They are eager to demonstrate competency in this evolving field and are excited to work on the leading edge of health IT. The future of health IT starts with the HIT Pro TM competency exams.  There are six separate HIT Pro TM exams, each of which pertains to a specific HIT workforce role instrumental in the process of achieving meaningful use of EHR systems.

The HIT Pro TM exams assess basic competency of individuals who are seeking to demonstrate their proficiency in certain health IT workforce roles integral to the implementation and management of electronic health information.

The HIT Pro TM Competency exams are supported by Grant Number 1U24OC000113‐01 from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. HIT Pro TM is a component of the Workforce Development program of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009. This legislation assists in the establishment or expansion of education programs designed to train a highly skilled workforce to support and enable the use of secure, interoperable EHR systems.