The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) announced this week a new credential in early 2017 for eligible professionals in the field of health informatics.
A beta test of the certification exam will launch in December. Details about the credential were released Monday at the AHIMA 88th Annual Convention and Exhibit.
Informatics is an interdisciplinary field that involves the application of data science, information technologies, and human-technology interactions to health-related practice. By using informatics techniques, analytics, and technology, health informaticians create a viable interface between the data systems and the end user resulting in better business decisions and patient outcomes.
Applicants for the AHIMA certification must meet one of the following eligibility requirements to sit for the exam: A baccalaureate degree and two years of health informatics experience; a master's degree or higher and one year of health informatics experience or a master’s degree in health informatics from an accredited health informatics program.
According to AHIMA, the certification exam was developed and validated by a panel of experts from who were chosen to represent the diversity of the health informatics field, including practitioners, employers and academics. The process and the resulting exam were overseen by The Commission on Certification for Health Informatics and Information Management (CCHIIM).
The panel’s work included identifying key content domains for the field of health informatics, and the competencies, skills and knowledge required for each domain. The content domains include: data analysis and utilization, data reporting, data management, privacy, and security, management of health information systems and processes, database management, health informatics training and project management.
“AHIMA’s certification is the culmination of a long-term initiative to research and develop a credential that measures competency and expertise across the broad range of content domains required to apply health informatics in diverse settings,” AHIMA CEO Lynne Thomas Gordon said in a statement. “With the demand for health informatics professionals growing, this credential is a valuable designation for identifying individuals who have demonstrated competency in the field and sets a standard for the health informatics profession.”
