Registered Health Information Administrator

Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), previously known as Registered Record Administrator, is a professional certification administered by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) in the United States. Passing the exam results in licensure for health information management.

History

At the time known as the American Medical Record Association (AMRA), AHIMA began offering the Registered Record Administrator (RRA) certification in the 1970s. In 2000 AHIMA renamed the certification from RRA to Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA).[1][2]

Roles

The RHIA certification focuses on preparing members for careers in health information and medical records management, including management of the processes and systems that capture and report on health care-related data so that it can be used to evaluate care performance.[3] They design and manage health information systems to ensure they meet medical, legal, and ethical standards. Seeing that each patient's medical record is complete, kept confidential, and safeguarded from individuals not involved with the medical care of the patient are primary responsibilities.[4]

A RHIA certification is a preferred qualification for positions including Health Information Management Director, Clinical Documentation Improvement Professional (CDIP), and Registered Health Information Administrator.[2][5] In 2009 a RHIA-certified professional in New York City would earn from $45,000 to $75,000 with a bachelor’s degree, and up to $100,000 with a master’s degree.[6]

RHIA vs. RHIT

AHIMA also offers a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) certification for coding professionals with two-year associate degrees and with less emphasis on management responsibilities. In 2005 researchers found that the differences in these certifications, in addition to other accreditations offered by AHIMA and the need for ongoing training, contributed to inconsistent medical record coding.[7]

Certification

To be eligible for RHIA certification, an individual must complete a bachelor's degree in a health information management program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) or graduate from a foreign association that has a reciprocity agreement with AHIMA.[3] Students focus on a core content area: technology, management development, clinical data management, performance improvement, external forces, clinical foundations, or privacy and security.[2]

In response to industry demand for health information administrators, some programs began offering accelerated, CAHIIM-accredited postbaccalaureate certificates in health information administration in 2000 to allow experienced enrollees, such as former nurses or business analysts with Masters of Business Administration (MBA), to more quickly take the RHIA exam.[8]

Ongoing education

Maintaining a RHIA certification requires 30 hours of continuing education units (CEUs) every two years. Of the 30 hours, 80% (or 24 hours) must be in one of the core content areas.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Flite, Cathy; Harman, Laurinda (Winter 2013). "Code of Ethics: Principles for Ethical Leadership". Perspectives in Health Information Management. 10: 1d. PMC 3544144Freely accessible. PMID 23346028.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Davis, Nadinia; LaCour, Melissa. Health Information Technology. Elsevier Health Services. Retrieved 2015-08-04.
  3. 1 2 Abdelhak, Mervat; Grostick, Sara; Hanken, Mary Alice (Dec 24, 2014). Health Information: Management of a Strategic Resource. Elsevier Health Sciences. Retrieved 2015-08-04.
  4. ↑ "Health Information Administrator". Mississippi Hospital Association Health Careers Center. Mississippi Hospital Association. Retrieved 2015-08-04.
  5. ↑ Malec, Brian (2015). Careers in Health Information Technology. New York City, NY: Springer Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-8261-2993-2.
  6. ↑ Gibson, Claudia (2009-05-11). "PROGNOSIS: JOB-HEAVY". New York Post. Retrieved 2015-08-04.
  7. ↑ O'Malley, Kimberly; Cook, Karon; Price, Matt; Wildes, Kimberly; Hurdle, John; Ashton, Carol (October 2005). "Measuring Diagnoses: ICD Code Accuracy". Health Services Research. 40: 1620–1639. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6773.2005.00444.x. PMC 1361216Freely accessible. PMID 16178999.
  8. ↑ Condon, Jim; Barefield, Amanda (Fall 2012). "Assessment of Success on the RHIA Certification Examination: A Comparison of Baccalaureate Program Graduates and Postbaccalaureate Certificate Program Graduates". Perspectives in Health Information Management. 9: 1–12. PMC 3510645Freely accessible. PMID 23209451.
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